Transient characterization of graphene NEMS switch ESD protection structures

Above-IC graphene NEMS (gNEMS) switch electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structures are designed to replace traditional in-Si PN-based ESD structures. Built in CMOS back-end without PN junctions, gNEMS eliminates ESD-induced parasitics (leakage, capacitance, noise) inherent to PN junctions. Transient characterization of gNEMS ESD structures were conducted by transmission line pulsing (TLP) measurement to understand impacts of zapping waveforms on ESD behaviors. gNEMS ESD switch is a potential ESD protection solution to advanced ICs at nano nodes.