Patent ID: 9013842
Filing Date: 2015-04-21
Classification: H01L,H02H

Abstract:
1. An electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit for providing protection between a first node and a second node, the ESD circuit comprising: a first MOS device having a first source/drain coupled to a first node, and a second source/drain coupled to an intermediate node; a first capacitor coupled between a gate of the first MOS device and the first node; a first resistor coupled between the gate of the first MOS device and the intermediate node; a second MOS device having a first source/drain coupled to the intermediate node, and a second source/drain coupled to the second node, wherein the second source/drain of the first MOS device and the first source/drain of the second MOS device comprise a first common source/drain region and form a first stacked device unit, such that an ESD current flows primarily though a first parasitic bipolar device coupled between the first and second source/drain of the first MOS device and through a second parasitic bipolar device coupled between the first source/drain of the second MOS device and the second source/drain of the second MOS device; a second capacitor coupled between a gate of the second MOS device and the first node; and a second resistor coupled between the gate of the second MOS device and the second node, and a second stacked device unit disposed adjacent to the first stacked device unit such that the second source/drain of the second MOS device of the first stacked device unit and the second source/drain of the second MOS device of the second stacked device unit form a second common source/drain region such that ESD current further flows through a third parasitic bipolar device coupled between the first source/drains of the first MOS devices of the first and second stacked device units and the second common source/drain region.