Patent ID: 8737032

Claim:
A method for protecting a circuit from an over-current, comprising: providing a discrete component formed from a first semiconductor chip having first, second, third, and fourth leadframe leads, first, second, and third bond pads, and comprising a transistor having a drain coupled to the first bond pad, a source coupled to the second bond pad, and a gate coupled to the third bond pad, the first bond pad coupled to the first leadframe lead by a first bond wire and to a second leadframe lead by a second bond wire and the third bond pad coupled to the third leadframe lead; generating a first voltage at the first leadframe lead; generating a second voltage using an un-mirrored current at the second leadframe lead; generating a comparison voltage in response to comparing the first voltage to the second voltage using a comparator that is formed from a monolithically integrated circuit formed from a second semiconductor chip; and impeding a flow of the un-mirrored current through the second bond wire in accordance with the comparison voltage, wherein the comparison voltage changes a level of the un-mirrored current flowing through the transistor of the discrete component.