Patent ID: 8169108

Claim:
An integrated circuit having voltage isolation capabilities, comprising: a first area of the integrated circuit containing functional circuitry, the functional circuitry located in a substrate of the integrated circuit; and a second area of the integrated circuit containing integrated capacitive isolation circuitry for voltage isolating the functional circuitry, the capacitive isolation circuitry located in conductive layers of the integrated circuit wherein the capacitive isolation circuitry further comprises: a first voltage isolation capacitor including: a first plate comprising a first plate of the first voltage isolation capacitor located on a first conductive layer, the first plate connected to the functional circuitry; and a second plate comprising a second plate of the first voltage isolation capacitor located on a second conductive layer and capacitively coupled thereto, the second plate connected to the a first output of integrated circuit; and a second voltage isolation capacitor including: a third plate comprising a first plate of the second voltage isolation capacitor located on the first conductive layer, the first plate connected to the functional circuitry; a fourth plate comprising a second plate of the second voltage isolation capacitor located on the second conductive layer and capacitively coupled thereto, the fourth plate connected to a second output of the integrated circuit; and transceiver circuitry connected to the first plate of the first voltage isolation capacitor and the third plate of the second voltage isolation capacitor for selectively transmitting and receiving an AC signal at the first and second outputs of the integrated circuit across the first and second voltage isolation capacitors.