Patent ID: 8184415
Filing Date: 2012-05-22
Classification: H01L

Abstract:
1. 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 that the voltage-current characteristic of the ESD protection device, measured between the first and second contact, exhibits a voltage snap-back effect at its trigger voltage.