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:
Jan. 31, 2006
Filed:
Mar. 23, 2004
Koichi Taniguchi, Kyoto, JP;
Naoki Nojiri, Osaka, JP;
Koichi Taniguchi, Kyoto, JP;
Naoki Nojiri, Osaka, JP;
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
In an I/O circuit unit located in the periphery of a semiconductor chip, a plurality of ESD protection transistors are provided in each I/O cell. An electrode pad cell has a two-layer structure including a lower electrode pad and an upper electrode pad. The electrode pad cell is arranged so as to be present over a connection line of ESD protection transistors of an associated I/O cell. With part of the first pad portion of an adjacent electrode pad located in an end portion of the second pad portion of the electrode pad, the second pad portion can not extend further onward but the third pad portion having a smaller width than that of the second pad portion is arranged onward. Thus, destruction of the ESD protection transistors is not caused, so that an internal circuit is protected from an electrostatic discharge which comes into electrode pads.