On-chip protection in precision integrated circuits operating at high voltage and high temperature

Abstract

A new high voltage swing bipolar ESD (electrostatic discharge) protection device for enabling low leakage precision mixed-signal interface circuits (ICs) operating at high voltage (~ 40 V to 60 V) and high temperature (~125°C to 200°C) is presented. Under these operating conditions, parasitic structures in junction-isolated high voltage process technologies induce unexpected shift in the leakage current over time, leading to malfunction in the precision high voltage input/output interface circuit. A proposed device design addresses the low leakage targets at the mentioned operating conditions, while achieving the required ESD robustness of the high voltage interface for industrial applications.