Patent Document

BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Electronic circuitry provides complex functionality that is proving ever more useful. In one common form, circuitry is formed on a semiconductor or other substrate using micro-fabrication processing technology. Modern processing technology often permits circuits to be constructed with feature dimension sizes as small as below one micron (1 μm or 10 −6  meters) for some processes. Accordingly, circuitry is becoming ever more integrated with advances in processing technology. 
         [0002]    Typical circuitry with such small feature dimension sizes are not designed to carry large amounts of current. So long as the voltage range at any given node does not extended out of its designed range, these currents remain relatively low and the circuitry will typically operate as designed. However, if the voltage range at any given node extends outside of its designed range, a condition of Electrical OverStress (EOS) may occur. 
         [0003]    For example, most common semiconductor fabrication processes use substrate or bulk semiconductor with different dopants implanted into certain regions of the substrate. These implant regions define unique voltage characteristics that are important or essential for circuit functionality. Thus, EOS experienced at any of the implant regions may adversely impact circuit performance. Another area where EOS may adversely affect performance is in the interlayer dielectrics, which have voltage limitations as well. Driving a circuit outside of its normal operating range can often disable performance of the circuit, reduce the operational lifetime of the circuit, or even immediately destroy the circuit. EOS can take many forms, but commonly takes the form of Electro Static Discharge (ESD) events. 
         [0004]    Many current dissipation circuits have been designed that are suitable for dissipating current to or from corresponding critical circuit nodes in order to provide protection to corresponding circuitry. Such current dissipation circuits often take the form of Silicon or Semiconductor Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs). When the monitored circuit node for a particular SCR has a normal voltage applied thereon, the SCR has little impact on the operation of the corresponding protected circuitry. However, when the monitored circuit node exceeds the normal operating voltage range, the SCR draws or provides current as appropriate to thereby prevent excessive currents from being experienced within the protected circuitry. 
         [0005]    Conventionally, SCR technology involves dual well technology using both n-wells and p-wells. This often involves more processing steps as compared to using single well technology such as would be employed if using only n-wells or if using only p-wells. Furthermore, there are situations in which the normal operating range of a critical circuit node is exceeded, yet for which it is desirable to draw only a little current through the SCR. For instance, some protected circuitry is designed to operate and provide some functionality in an alternative operating mode if the polarity of the voltage supplies provided to the circuit is reversed. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Embodiments of the present invention relate to a current dissipation circuit that dissipates excess current to or from a circuit node when that monitored circuit node experiences abnormal voltage conditions, rather than having that excess current being dissipated through other protected circuitry. The dissipated current might otherwise have been born fully by the protected circuitry thereby potentially causing electrical overstress in that protected circuitry. Such EOS can temporarily disable the protected circuit. In some conditions, EOS, and especially ESD, may permanently damage the protected circuit, thereby reducing the effective life of the protected circuit. 
         [0007]    In one embodiment, the current dissipation circuit is provided using single well technology such that perhaps only n-wells are used, or perhaps only p-wells are used. In some situations, this might simplify the processing associated with constructing a structure as compared to a structure that includes dual well technology in which both n-wells and p-wells are used. That said, the principles of the present invention are not limited to situations in which the use of the single well technology simplifies overall processing. In another embodiment, the current dissipation circuit is provided by a series connection of at least five alternating p-type and n-type regions provided between the circuit node and a current source or sink, regardless of the well technology, if any, that is employed. 
         [0008]    These and other features of the embodiments of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of embodiments of the present invention, a more particular description of the embodiments of the invention will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificity using the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates a current dissipation circuit disposed between two circuit nodes; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2A  illustrates a current dissipation circuit disposed to protect excess current from being provided to a protected circuit; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2B  illustrates the current dissipation circuit of  FIG. 2A  disposed to protect excess current from being drawn from the protected circuit; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  illustrates a combined cross-sectional view and schematic diagram of a current dissipation circuit using single well technology in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  illustrates a combined cross-sectional view and schematic diagram of a current dissipation circuit that uses single well technology and that has multiple current dissipation conduction paths; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  illustrates one example voltage-current characteristic of the current dissipation circuit of  FIG. 3  given a positive voltage on the input terminal as relative to the substrate; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  illustrates another example voltage-current characteristic of the current dissipation circuit of  FIG. 3  given a negative voltage on the input terminal relative to the substrate; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7A  illustrates a series connection of alternating P-type and N-type regions in a PNPNP configuration used to describe the operation of the current dissipation circuit of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7B  illustrates a series connection of alternating N-type and P-type regions in an NPNPN configuration; 
           [0019]      FIG. 8A  illustrates a current dissipation circuit of  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 7A  expressed in the form of interconnected bipolar transistors; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 8B  illustrates a current dissipation circuit of  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 7B  expressed in the form of interconnected bipolar transistors. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    Embodiments of the present invention relate to structure and operation of a current dissipation circuit. For example, referring to  FIG. 1 , a circuit  100  includes two circuit nodes  101  and  102 , and a current dissipation circuit  110  interposed therebetween to induce a current IDISS. If the induced current IDISS is positive, then the current dissipation circuit  100  draws current from the first circuit node  101  into one or more second circuit node(s)  102 . If the induced current IDISS is negative, then the current dissipation circuit  100  provides current from the one or more second circuit nodes  102  into the first circuit node  101 . 
         [0022]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  each illustrate one example use of the current dissipation circuit  100  of  FIG. 1 . In each case of  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the first circuit node  201  (corresponding to first circuit node  101  of  FIG. 1 ) is coupled to second circuit node(s)  202  (corresponding to second circuit node(s)  102  of  FIG. 1 ) through the current dissipation circuit  210  (corresponding to the current dissipation circuit  110  of  FIG. 1 ). In addition, protected circuit  220  is shown coupled to the first circuit node  201 . 
         [0023]    If excessive current  231 A is provided to the first circuit node  201  as illustrated in the case of  FIG. 2A , then the current dissipation circuit  210  may draw current  232 A from the first circuit node  201 , thereby leaving a more manageable current  233 A to be dissipated within the protected circuit  220 . On the other hand, if excessive current  231 B is drawn from the first circuit node  201  as illustrated in the case of  FIG. 2B , the current dissipation provides current  232 B to the first circuit node  201 , thereby once again leaving a more manageable current  233 B that is dissipated within the protected circuit  220 . Excessive current may be provided to or drawn from the first circuit node  201  in cases of Electrical OverStress (EOS) such as, for example, ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) being applied to the first circuit node  201  or to a component electrically close to the first circuit node  201 . 
         [0024]    Thus, the amount of current that passes through the current dissipation circuit is different depending on the state of the circuit, where the state is defined as controlled by a voltage applied at the first circuit node  101 , or at least by a voltage differential between the first and second circuit nodes  101  and  102 . In the case of  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the voltage at the first circuit node  201  controls how the current dissipation circuit  210  acts. Accordingly, in the case of  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the first circuit node  201  may also be referred to in this description as a “monitored” circuit node. 
         [0025]    Conventional current dissipation circuits often come in the form of Silicon or Semiconductor Controlled Rectifiers (SCRs). Such SCRs often operate in one of two states, often referred to as a “non-regenerative mode” and “regenerative mode”. So long as the voltage at the monitored circuit node (e.g., circuit node  201 ) is within a safe range, the current dissipation circuit is in non-regenerative mode in which it draws or provides little, if any, current, and thus has little effect on the protected circuitry. If the monitored circuit node has a voltage that is outside of that safe range, the current dissipation circuit is triggered into the regenerative mode thus drawing or providing (as appropriate) substantial amounts of current. Thus, when the voltage applied at the monitored circuit node transitions from within the safe range to outside the safe range, the current dissipation circuit begins immediately to dissipate relatively large amounts of current, thereby preserving the protected circuitry. This triggering can be relatively abrupt. The level of voltage required for such triggering can differ significantly depending on the application, since it is the application that will define the safe and unsafe ranges. Accordingly, any mention of specific trigger voltages made herein is strictly for example purposes only, and not to restrict the scope of the invention. 
         [0026]    In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, however, there may be an additional state in which a reverse voltage is applied between the first and second circuit nodes  101  and  102 . Such a condition might be realistic in many applications. For instance, in battery powered circuitry, the battery may simply be applied with an unintentionally reversed electrical polarity. In those situations, the protected circuitry may be designed to provide some limited functionality given the reverse applied voltage. 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  illustrates a current dissipation circuit  300  manufactured on a semiconductor substrate that may be used to protect circuitry from EOS while permitting operation in a reverse voltage condition. For clarity, portions of the protection circuit  300  are illustrated in cross-section as they might be processed on a semiconductor substrate, while other portions are illustrated using simple circuit symbols. In addition to providing reverse voltage protection without triggering the current dissipation circuit  300 , the current dissipation circuit  300  may also be processed using a single-well technology in which all wells are manufactured of the same polarity (i.e., all n-type or all p-type). In the illustrated case of  FIG. 3 , all of the wells are n-type. 
         [0028]    In this description and in the claims, an “n-type” region or “n-region” of a semiconductor material is said to have an n-type polarity and is a region in which there are more n-type dopants than p-type dopants, if there are any p-type dopants at all. On the other hand, a “p-type” region or “p-region” of a semiconductor material is said to have a p-type polarity and is a region in which there are more p-type dopants than n-type dopants, if there are any n-type dopants. Generally, the p-type polarity is considered to be the opposite of the n-type polarity. 
         [0029]    The current dissipation circuit  300  includes two autonomous n-well regions  311  and  312  within a p-type semiconductor substrate  305 . An “n-well” region is a well that is formed as an n-type region within a larger p-type region, as opposed to a “p-well” region which is formed as a p-type region within a larger n-type region. Techniques for forming n-well and p-well regions in a substrate are well known in the art and thus will not be discussed here. It will be understood that a p-type semiconductor region in contact with an n-type semiconductor region will cause a diode effect, with current being permitted to pass from the p-type region to the n-type region if the voltage at the p-type region is higher than the voltage at the n-type region. However, current is not permitted to flow from the n-type region to the p-type region absent a significantly high voltage at the n-type region with respect to the p-type region. This higher voltage is often referred to as a diode&#39;s “breakdown” voltage or “reverse breakdown” voltage. 
         [0030]    Occasionally, while describing the operation of the current dissipation circuit  300  of  FIG. 3 , reference will be made to the PNPNP stack  700 A of  FIG. 7A , which illustrates the relationship of the p-type and n-type junctions of  FIG. 3 . Likewise,  FIG. 8A  illustrates the relationship in the form of interconnected bipolar transistors  800 A. 
         [0031]    Since  FIG. 7A  is used to describe only the principles of operation, the size of the n-type and p-type regions of  FIG. 7A  are not drawn to scale when compared to the corresponding components of  FIG. 3 . In  FIG. 7A , the n-region  702 A corresponds to the n-well  311  of  FIG. 3 , and the n-region  704 A corresponds to the n-well  312  of  FIG. 3 . The p-region  703 A corresponds to the p-type substrate  305  of  FIG. 3 . Note that in  FIG. 3 , there may be an n-channel field  314  surrounding the n-well  311 . The thickness of this n-channel field  314  may be controlled at the time of circuit manufacture to thereby control the breakdown voltage between the diode defined by the n-well  311  and the p-type substrate  305 . Mechanisms for forming such an n-channel field of a specific width are known in the art and thus will not be described here. Although not shown, an n-tub of higher n-type dopant density than the n-well  311  may be used internal to the n-well  311  to provide a further adjustment to the breakdown voltage. 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIGS. 7A and 8A , the n-region  702 A of  FIG. 7A  corresponds to the n-type base terminal of the PNP bipolar transistor  801 A and the n-type collector terminal of the NPN bipolar transistor  802 A, which are shown coupled together in  FIG. 8A  since the terminals are both formed using the same n-type region  702 A. Also, the n-region  704 A of  FIG. 7A  corresponds to the n-type emitter terminal of the NPN bipolar transistor  802 A and corresponds to the n-type base terminal of the PNP bipolar transistor  803 A. Once again, these terminals are coupled together since they are formed of the same n-type region  704 A The p-region  703 A of  FIG. 7A  corresponds to the p-type collector terminal of PNP bipolar transistor  801 A, the p-type emitter terminal of PNP bipolar transistor  803 A, and the p-type base terminal of NPN bipolar transistor  802 A, which are shown coupled together. 
         [0033]    Referring back to  FIG. 3 , the n-well  311  is coupled to a first circuit node  301  through a first parallel combination of a p-type contact region  331  and an n-type contact region  332 . The net dopant density of each of the p-type contact region  331  and the n-type contact region  332  is greater than the net dopant density of the n-well  311 . This higher net dopant density is expressed in  FIG. 3  by the p-type contact region  331  being designated as “P+”, and the n-type contact region  332  being designated as “N+”. The “net dopant density” is the concentration per unit volume of dominant dopant species (n-type dopants if an n-type region, and p-type dopants if a p-type region) minus the concentration per unit volume of minority dopant species (p-type dopants if an n-type region, and n-type dopants if a p-type region). 
         [0034]    Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 7A , the p+ contact region  331  of  FIG. 3  corresponds to the p-region  701 A of  FIG. 7A . The p-region  701 A is coupled to one terminal  721 A of the PNPNP stack  700 A. The terminal  301  of  FIG. 3  corresponds to the terminal  721 A of  FIG. 7A . The resistor  303  of  FIG. 3  corresponds to the resistor  711 A of  FIG. 7A  having resistance R. Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 8A , the p+ contact region  331  of  FIG. 3  corresponds to the p-type emitter terminal of the PNP bipolar transistor  801 A. The terminal  301  of  FIG. 3  corresponds to terminal  821 A of  FIG. 8A . The resistor  303  of  FIG. 3  corresponds to the resistor  811 A of  FIG. 8A . 
         [0035]    Referring back to the illustrated embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the n+ contact region  332  is coupled to the first circuit node  301  through a resistor circuit element  303 . In this description and in the claims, a “resistor circuit element” is a resistor that is specifically formed as a desired portion of a circuit pattern. The p+ contact region  331  is coupled to the first circuit node  301  without an intervening resistor circuit element in H the illustrated embodiment. 
         [0036]    A second n-well  312  is coupled to the second circuit node  302  through a parallel combination of a p+ contact region  321  and an n+ contact region  322 . In the illustrated embodiment, the third and fourth contact regions  321  and  322  are coupled to the second circuit node  302  without an intervening resistor element. In one embodiment, the first circuit node  301  is an I/O pad in which input and/or output signals may be applied. The second circuit node  302  may be a substantially fixed voltage supply such as, for example, ground. The substrate  305  may also be connected to ground. The remaining circuit elements  323  serve to reduce the breakdown voltage of the diode defined by the interface between the n-well  311  to p-type substrate  305 . 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 7A , the p+contact region  321  of  FIG. 3  corresponds to the p-region  705 A of  FIG. 7A . The second circuit node  302  of  FIG. 3  corresponds to the circuit node  722 A of  FIG. 7A . Since the n-well  312  is connected through the n+region  322  to the circuit node  302  with some resistance,  FIG. 7A  shows a small resistor  712 A having resistance r 1  coupled between the n-region  704 A and the second circuit node  722 A. Furthermore, since p-type substrate  305  may well be grounded, and the second circuit node  302  is grounded, the p-region  703 A is shown coupled to the second circuit node  722 A (which may be grounded) through resistor  713 A having resistance r 2 . The resistors r 1  and r 2  may be parasitic, as opposed to an expressed resistor circuit element in the design. However, the resistors may also be expressed design elements. 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 8A , the p+ contact region  321  of  FIG. 3  corresponds to the p-type collector terminal of PNP bipolar transistor  803 A of  FIG. 8A . The second circuit node  302  of  FIG. 3  corresponds to the circuit node  822 A of  FIG. 8A . Since the n-well  312  is connected through the n+ region  322  to the circuit node  302  with some resistance,  FIG. 8A  shows a small resistor  812 A having resistance r 1  coupled between the n-type base terminal of PNP bipolar transistor  803 A and the second circuit node  822 A. Furthermore, since p-type substrate  305  may well be grounded, and the second circuit node  302  may well be grounded, the p-type base terminal of NPN bipolar transistor  802 A is shown coupled to the second circuit node  822 A through resistor  813 A having resistance r 2 . 
         [0039]    Referring back to  FIG. 3 , in normal operation mode, the first circuit node  301  will carry a moderately higher voltage than the second circuit node  302 . In one secondary operation mode (referred to hereinafter as “moderate reverse voltage mode”), the first circuit node  301  may carry a moderately negative voltage as compared to the second circuit node  302 . This might occur, for example, if the circuit was battery-connected, and the battery was incorrectly configured in reverse. 
         [0040]    In a third operating mode (referred to herein as a “positive excessive voltage mode”), the first circuit node  301  has an excessive positive voltage as compared to the second circuit node  302 . In a fourth operating mode (referred to herein as a “negative excessive voltage mode”), the first circuit node  301  has an excessive negative voltage as compared to the second circuit node  302 . These third and fourth operating modes might be characteristic of some Electrical OverStress (EOS) condition such as, for example, ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) occurring at the first circuit node  301 . 
         [0041]    Referring to the voltage-current characteristic graph  600  of  FIG. 6 , the evaluation begins with the current applied through the current dissipation circuit being negligible. When the first circuit node  301  is driven to a voltage below that of the substrate  305  as in the moderate reverse voltage mode, the parasitic diode junction defined by the pn junction at the interface of the substrate  305  and n-well  311  becomes forward-biased. The negative voltage at the first circuit node  301  is not yet sufficient at this stage to overcome with breakdown voltage of the pn junction between n-well  311  and p+ contact region  331 . However, after some amount of capacitive pre-charging, the current is free to flow from the p-type substrate  305  to the n-well  311 , through the n+ contact region  332 , through the resistor  303  and to the first circuit node  301 . The presence of the resistor  303 , however, serves to limit the amount of current that flows through the resistor  303 . Referring to  FIG. 7A , in this moderate reverse voltage mode, current may flow from the p-type region  703 A to the n-type region  702 A, and through the resistor  711 A. 
         [0042]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , in this moderate reverse voltage mode in which the voltage transitions from zero to somewhere below approximate 37 volts, the current remains still relatively small (below 1 Amp) within region  601 . If the protected circuitry has functionality for operating under this moderate reverse voltage condition, the circuitry may continue to thus operate, since the current dissipation circuit is not dissipating significant amounts of current. 
         [0043]    If the reverse voltage were to increase, however, to the triggering voltage (approximately 37 volts in the case of  FIG. 6 ), the current dissipation circuit would enter excessive negative voltage mode. In this case, the current through (and the voltage across) the resistor  303  becomes sufficiently large, that the diode defined by the p+ region  331  and the n-well  311  enters avalanche breakdown. In this case, the current flowing from n-well  311  through p+ contact region  331  and to the first circuit node  301  increased dramatically thereby causing the voltage at circuit node  301  to drop. This transition is represented in  FIG. 6  by region  602 . This avalanche breakdown voltage may be adjusted as needed for the application, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after having reviewed this description. For instance, the dopant profile of the p+ contact region  331  may be made less abrupt to increase the breakdown voltage, or more abrupt to decrease the breakdown voltage. Furthermore, the n-channel field  314  thickness, and the n+ region  323  position may be altered to adjust the breakdown voltage. There may be other parameters that may be adjusted at design time to control the breakdown voltage, as will be known to those of ordinary skill in the art after having reviewed this invention. For instance, the distance between n+ region  323  and either the n-well  311  or the n-channel field  314  may be adjusted during the design to thereby move the breakdown voltage to a desired tolerance. 
         [0044]    Once the current rises above a particular level, the current dissipation circuit enters a positive feedback mode in which more and more current is dissipated with only minor voltage changes present at the first circuit node  301 . This positive feedback mode will be further explained with respect to  FIGS. 7A and 8A  and is represented in  FIG. 6  by region  603 . 
         [0045]    In negative excessive voltage mode, the current passing from p-region  703 A to n-region  702 A through resistor  711 A becomes large enough that the voltage drop across resistor  711 A exceeds the reverse breakdown voltage of the pn junction defined by the n-region  702 A and p-region  701 A. Accordingly, significant current passes from the n-region  702 A through the p-region  701 A and to the first circuit node  721 A. Referring to  FIG. 8A , this means that the bipolar transistor  801 A activates, thereby permitting more and more current to pass between circuit nodes  821 A and  821 B as the negative voltage differential increases. 
         [0046]    Accordingly, in excessive negative voltage mode, the current dissipation circuit  300  provides significant current to the first voltage node  301 , such that the current drawn from the first circuit node  301  does not cause excessive current to be drawn from the protected circuit itself as in the case of  FIG. 2B . 
         [0047]      FIG. 5 , on the other hand, illustrates one example of voltage-current characteristics of the current dissipation circuit  300  of  FIG. 3  in the case in which a positive voltage is applied on the first circuit node  301  as compared to the second current node  302 . So long as this positive voltage remains below a certain positive trigger voltage (about 16 volts in the example of  FIG. 5 ), the current drawn by the current dissipation circuit  300  remains negligible due to the reverse bias of the parasitic diode between the n-well  311  and the p-type substrate  305 . Referring to  FIG. 7A , the reverse bias voltage at the pn junction defined by the n-region  702 A and the p-region  703 A is not sufficient to allow significant current to flow from n-region  702 A to p-region  703 A. Accordingly, negligible current would pass through the current dissipation circuit  300 . 
         [0048]    When the positive voltage rises above the positive trigger voltage due to, for example, an EOS event applied on the first circuit node  301 , the n-well  311  is charged up by the first circuit node  301  through the p+contact region  332 . Referring to  FIG. 7A , the n-region  702 A would charge up through p-region  701 A. In  FIG. 8A , the current would flow from the emitter terminal into the base terminal of the bipolar transistor  801 A. This serves to activate the flow of current through the current dissipation circuit  300  into the second circuit node  300 . As represented by  FIG. 5 , for example, with this increasing current, the voltage at the first circuit node  301  drops significantly, thereby protecting the protected circuitry from excessive current flow in the same way as shown in  FIG. 2B . 
         [0049]    As will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, the polarities of each of the regions of  FIG. 3 ,  7 A and  8 A, may be reversed. In other words, p-type regions may be replaced by n-type regions, and vice verse.  FIG. 7B  illustrates a stack  700 B which shows a series of NPNPN regions  701 B through  705 B, which applies this principles to  FIG. 7A , with resistors  711 B through  713 B corresponding to resistors  711 A through  713 A.  FIG. 8B  illustrates a bipolar transistor configuration  800 B that includes bipolar transistors  801 B through  803 B and resistors  811 B through  813 B, that applies this principle to  FIG. 8A . 
         [0050]      FIG. 4  illustrates a dual reference mode form of the current dissipation circuit  300  of  FIG. 3 . While the current dissipation circuit  300  of  FIG. 3  uses a single reference node  302  as a current source or sink, the current dissipation circuit  400  of  FIG. 4  includes two references nodes  402  and  404  to source current to or sink current from the circuit node  401 . The operation of the components  401 ,  402 ,  403 ,  405 ,  411 ,  412 ,  421 ,  422 ,  423 ,  431  and  432  of  FIG. 4  will operate much as described above for the components  311 ,  312 ,  321 ,  322 ,  323 ,  331  and  332  described with respect to  FIG. 3  in sourcing or sinking current to or sinking current from circuit node  401  using reference node  402 . However, the reference node  404  will operate using regions  441 ,  442  and  443  within n-well  413  much as described above for the reference node  302  operating using regions  321 ,  322  and  323  within n-well  312 . Accordingly, dual reference node current dissipation is achieved. 
         [0051]    Therefore, a current dissipation circuit is described that permits for proper and adjustable current dissipation while permitted normal reverse voltage operation. Furthermore, this is achieved by using single well technology thereby simplifying the fabrication of the current dissipation circuit. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Technology Category: 5