An on-chip detector of transient stress events

Testing and debugging of electrostatic discharge (ESD) or electrical fast transient (EFT) issues in modern electronic systems can be challenging. The following paper describes the design of an on-chip circuit which detects and stores the occurrence of a fast transient stress event at the ESD protection structures in an I/O pad. Measurements and simulations of a test circuit in 90 nm technology show it can accurately detect and record the presence of a transient stress event with a peak current as low as 0.9 A or duration as short as 1 ns and that the detector works well across typical temperature and process variations. The small size of the detector will allow it to be used effectively even in low-cost commercial ICs.