The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 14, 1999
Filed:
Jun. 29, 1998
Ming-Dou Ker, Hsinchu, TW;
Hun-Hsien Chang, Taipei, TW;
Abstract
In this invention, a whole-chip ESD protection scheme with the SCR string or the SCR/diode-mixed string are proposed to protect the mixed-voltage CMOS IC's against the ESD damage. The SCR string or the SCR/diode-mixed string is placed between the separated power lines. The ESD current is arranged to be discharged through the SCR string or the SCR/diode-mixed string and the ESD clamps between the power lines. Therefore, the internal circuits and the interface circuits between the circuits with different power supplies can be prevented from ESD damages. The number of the SCR's or the diodes in the SCR string or the SCR/diode-mixed string connected between the different power lines is dependent on the voltage difference between the different power supplies in the mixed-voltage CMOS IC's. When the IC is in the normal operating conditions, such SCR string or the SCR/diode-mixed string between the different power lines is kept off to maintain the independence of the power supplies in the mixed-voltage COMS IC.