Patent ID: 8339756

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a switchable discharge device configured to discharge an electrostatic discharge; and a control circuit configured to generate a control voltage to turn off the discharge device at a shutoff time, with the shutoff time being long enough to allow the electrostatic discharge though the discharge device but short enough to reduce a duration of a power-up current transient through the discharge device, the control circuit including: an earlier-stage inverter; a delay-reduced inverter having an input terminal coupled to an output terminal of the earlier-stage inverter, wherein the delay-reduced inverter includes an inverter-input resistor coupled to the input terminal of the delay-reduced inverter, wherein the inverter-input resistor is electrically coupled between the input terminal of the delay-reduced inverter and one of a supply rail and a ground rail; and a keeper inverter having an output terminal and an input terminal, wherein the output terminal of the keeper inverter is coupled to the input terminal of the delay-reduced inverter, wherein the input terminal of the keeper inverter is coupled to an output terminal of the delay-reduced inverter, wherein the control circuit includes no more than the one inverter-input resistor.