ESD Power Clamps

Summary

Chapter 11 addresses ESD power clamp circuits. ESD power clamps are used between the power supply rails to lower the chip impedance during ESD events. This chapter addresses CMOS, Bipolar and BiCMOS ESD power clamps which are trigger by voltage conditions or frequency discrimination. The chapter will first discuss CMOS ESD power clamps that are commonly used in the semiconductor industry; these include grounded‐gate NMOS clamps, gate‐coupled MOSFETs, RC‐triggered MOSFETs, substrate‐triggered MOSFET ESD power clamps, as well as gate‐ and substrate‐coupled MOSFET power clamps. Additionally, RC‐triggered MOSFETs for mixed voltage applications will be discussed.