US 12,316,103 B2
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuits
Guobiao Zhang, Corvallis, OR (US); Zhitang Song, ShangHai (CN); Hongyu Yu, ShenZhen (CN); and Sannian Song, ShangHai (CN)
Assigned to Southern University of Science and Technology, GuangDong (CN)
Filed by Guobiao Zhang, Corvallis, OR (US); Zhitang Song, ShangHai (CN); Hongyu Yu, ShenZhen (CN); and Sannian Song, ShangHai (CN)
Filed on Oct. 18, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/381,237.
Application 18/381,237 is a division of application No. 17/721,312, filed on Apr. 14, 2022, granted, now 11,824,347.
Claims priority of application No. 202110402363.8 (CN), filed on Apr. 14, 2021; and application No. 202110839110.7 (CN), filed on Jul. 23, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0047964 A1, Feb. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. H02H 9/02 (2006.01); H02H 9/00 (2006.01); H02H 9/04 (2006.01); H10D 89/60 (2025.01)
CPC H02H 9/005 (2013.01) [H02H 9/02 (2013.01); H02H 9/046 (2013.01); H10D 89/60 (2025.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ESD protection circuit for protecting a pad, including a plurality of ESD devices connected in parallel between said pad and a power supply, each of said ESD devices comprising:
a resistor disposed in a resistor via, wherein said resistor via is a vertical via formed in an inter-layer dielectric and filled with at least a conductive material with a high resistivity;
a two-terminal switch disposed vertically with said resistor, wherein said two-terminal switch is turned on when a voltage between said two terminals is above a threshold voltage (Vth);
wherein said resistor and said two-terminal switch in said each of said ESD devices are connected in series, and the voltage drop on said resistor at an ESD event is larger than the standard deviation of Vth of all two-terminal switches.