Kevin K Spielberger

US Patent:

58256016, Oct 20, 1998

Filed:

Jun 16, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/876925

Inventors:

Timothy V. Statz - Minneapolis MN
Dongwook Drew Suh - Freemont CA
Kevin Spielberger - Eden Prairie MN

Assignee:

LSI Logic Corporation - Milpitas CA

International Classification:

H02H 322

US Classification:

361 56

Abstract:

An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit includes first and second supply terminals, a current source, a shunt transistor, an inverter and a voltage level shifting device. The shunt transistor is coupled between the first and second supply terminals and has a control terminal. The inverter includes an input coupled to the current source, an output coupled to the control terminal of the shunt transistor and pull-up and pull-down transistors coupled between the first and second supply terminals. The pull-up and pull-down transistors have control terminals which are coupled to the input. The voltage level shifting device is coupled between the input and the control terminal of one of the pull-up and pull-down transistors.