Patent ID: 8416543

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: an internal circuit electrically connected between a first node and a second node; and a protection circuit electrically connected between the first node and the second node, wherein the protection circuit is configured to protect the internal circuit from transient electrical events, the protection circuit comprising: a bipolar transistor having an emitter, a base, and a collector, wherein the emitter is connected to the first node, and wherein the base is connected to a third node, and wherein the collector is connected to a fourth node; a first diode electrically connected between the third node and the fourth node, wherein the first diode is an avalanche breakdown diode having the same polarity as the base and the collector of the bipolar transistor, respectively, and wherein a breakdown voltage associated with the first diode is lower than or about equal to a breakdown voltage associated with the base and the collector of the bipolar transistor; a second diode electrically connected between the second node and the fourth node; and a third diode electrically connected between the first node and the third node.