US 11,955,796 B2
Electrostatic discharge network for driver gate protection
Junjun Li, Newton, MA (US); Abbas Komijani, Mountain View, CA (US); and Hongrui Wang, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 29, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/661,503.
Prior Publication US 2023/0352932 A1, Nov. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. H02H 9/04 (2006.01); H01L 27/02 (2006.01)
CPC H02H 9/046 (2013.01) [H01L 27/0255 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a power supply port of an integrated circuit, wherein the power supply port is coupled to an internal power supply node via a first resistor;
a driver circuit configured to generate, using a data signal and a voltage level of a regulated power supply node, an output signal on a signal port of the integrated circuit;
a first protection circuit configured to couple the signal port to the internal power supply node in response to a detection of an electrostatic discharge event on the signal port; and
a second protection circuit coupled to the internal power supply node, wherein the second protection circuit is configured, in response to the detection of the electrostatic discharge event, to increase a voltage level of an input to the driver circuit, wherein the second protection circuit includes a first diode coupled between a ground supply node and the input to the driver circuit, a second diode coupled between the internal power supply node and the input to the driver circuit, and a second resistor coupled between the regulated power supply node and the input to the driver circuit.