Patent ID: 7057867

Claim:
An apparatus including electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection clamp circuitry, comprising: a first terminal to convey desired and undesired signals; a second terminal; current shunting circuitry coupled between said first and second terminals, and responsive to a received control current having first and second states, wherein during said first and second control current states said current shunting circuitry provides nonconductive and conductive current paths, respectively, between said first and second terminals; and current tunneling circuitry coupled to said first terminal and said current shunting circuitry, and responsive to said desired and undesired signals by operating in a current tunneling mode to provide to said current shunting circuitry said control current in said first and second states, respectively, wherein during said first and second control current states said control current has substantially zero and nonzero magnitudes, respectively.