Patent ID: 8873210

Claim:
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit connected between a first terminal and a second terminal of an electronic circuit and provided for protecting the electronic circuit against an ESD event, the ESD protection circuit comprising: an ESD current conducting path extending from the first terminal to the second terminal and comprising a plurality of ESD current conducting transistors, each having a base, a collector and an emitter, wherein the ESD current conducting transistors are connected in series and configured for conducting an ESD current on occurrence of an ESD event, and wherein the plurality of ESD current conducting transistors further comprises a first bipolar junction transistor having its base and collector connected to the first terminal and a second bipolar junction transistor having its collector connected to the emitter of the first bipolar junction transistor; and at least one driving transistor having a base, a collector and an emitter, wherein the at least one driving transistor is connected in parallel to at least one of the ESD current conducting transistors, wherein the at least one driving transistor comprises a third bipolar junction transistor having its base and collector connected to the first terminal and its emitter connected to the base of the second bipolar junction transistor, and wherein the at least one driving transistor is configured for conducting a driving current on occurrence of the ESD event.