Impact of ESD strategy on EMC performances in automotive Integrated circuits

In automotive industry, providing an integrated circuit (IC) with high level of features, reduced die size and high Electro Static Discharge (ESD) and Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) performances is the key to have design wins and considerable market share. ESD structures, occupying a significant place within the IC, are designed taking into account two main criteria’s: high ESD performances and a reduced size. Their integration inside an IC has to consider their behavior during EMC tests. This paper illustrates two case studies where the ESD structures used, despite their good ESD performance, led to EMC performance degradation. A deep study is made in each case and various solutions are proposed and discussed.