Esd-protection device, a semiconductor device and integrated system in a package comprising such a device

Abstract

The invention relates to an ESD protection device comprising: a first contact () and a second contact (), and an electrical node (); a bipolar transistor () having a base, an emitter, and a collector, the base and emitter forming a base-emitter junction, the base and collector forming a base-collector junction, the emitter being connected to the first contact (), the collector being connected to the second contact (), the base being connect to the electrical node (); a first diode () connected between the electrical node () and the first contact (), the first diode () comprising a first junction arranged in the same direction as the base-emitter junction, and—a second diode () connected between the electrical node () and the second contact (), in anti-series with the first diode () on a path from the first contact () to the second contact (), the second diode () comprising a second junction arranged in the same direction as the base-collector junction, wherein the bipolar transistor () is dimensioned to have such a current gain (β) that the voltage-current characteristic of the ESD protection device, measured between the first () and second contact (), exhibits a voltage snap-back effect (SNP) at its trigger voltage (Vtrig). The voltage snap-back effect (SNP) results in a lower clamping voltage of the ESD protection device. The invention further relates a semiconductor device and an integrated system in a package comprising said ESD protection device.