System and method for electrostatic discharge protection in an electronic circuit

• US 20060250731A1
• Filed: 05/03/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies Wireless IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies Wireless IP Singapore Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Parkhurst, Ray M., Jiaa, Chi, Ruebusch, Ron, Sickler, Janet
• Application Number:
  US11/121,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20060250731A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/56
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/62 Protection against overvoltage, e.g. fuses, shunts
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0231 Capacitors or dielectric substances
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0259 Electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0298 Multilayer circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/167 incorporating printed resistors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/181 associated with surface mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09309 Core having two or more power planes; Capacitive laminate of two power planes

Abstract

A system and method for implementing an electronic circuit for protecting electronic components from ESD. A PCB or IC may include an electrostatic discharge protection layer having a first and second conductive layer separated by a semi-conductive dielectric layer. Further, the PCB/IC may include a protected node coupled to the first conductive layer and a current-shunt node electrically coupled to the second conductive layer, such that a signal at the protected node that is below a threshold magnitude propagates through the protected node in a normal operating path and a signal at the protected node that exceeds a threshold magnitude is diverted to the semi-conductive dielectric layer to the current-shunt node in a current-shunt path. In this manner, existing layers of a PCB/IC may be used for both ESD protection and other functions, such as ground planes or battery plane by isolating the specific sections of the layer for its intended use.

Claims

1. An electronic circuit for protecting electronic components from electrostatic discharge, the circuit comprising:

an electrostatic discharge protection layer having a first and second conductive layer separated by a semi-conductive dielectric layer; and

a protected node electrically coupled to the first conductive layer and a current-shunt node electrically coupled to the second conductive layer, such that a signal at the protected node that is below a threshold magnitude propagates through the protected node in a normal operating path and a signal at the protected node that exceeds a threshold magnitude is diverted to propagate through the semi-conductive dielectric layer to the current-shunt node in a current-shunt path.

2. The electronic circuit of claim 1 wherein the protected node comprises a signal node.

3. The electronic circuit of claim 1 wherein the current-shunt node comprises at least one type of node from the group of nodes comprising:

a signal node, a ground node, and a battery node.

4. The electronic circuit of claim 1 wherein the threshold magnitude comprises a voltage threshold magnitude.

5. The electronic circuit of claim 1 wherein the threshold magnitude comprises a current threshold magnitude.

6. The electronic circuit of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of layers such that the electrostatic discharge layer comprises one layer and at least one protected node is disposed in at least one other layer.

7. The electronic circuit of claim 1, further comprising a second current-shunt node that is part of a second current-shunt path operable to further dissipate a signal that exceeds the threshold magnitude, such that a signal that exceeds the threshold magnitude propagates through a first and second current-shunt nodes proportionally.

8. The electronic circuit of claim 7 wherein the second current-shunt path comprises a path through the semi-conductive dielectric layer.

9. The electronic circuit of claim 7 wherein the second current-shunt path comprises a path through a surface mount electrostatic discharge device.

10. The electronic circuit of claim 1 disposed in an integrated circuit.

11. The electronic circuit of claim 1 disposed in a printed circuit board.

12. An electronic circuit for diverting electrostatic discharge signals, the electronic circuit comprising:

a protection circuit comprising;

an electrostatic discharge protection layer having a first and second conductive layer separated by a semi-conductive dielectric layer; and

a protected node electrically coupled to the first conductive layer and a current-shunt node electrically coupled to the second conductive layer, such that a signal at the protected node that is below a threshold magnitude propagates through the protected node in a normal operating path and a signal at the protected node that exceeds a threshold magnitude is diverted to propagate through the semi-conductive dielectric layer to the current-shunt node in a current-shunt path; and

a protected component electrically coupled to the protection circuit at the protected node, such that electrostatic discharge signals that exceed the threshold magnitude are diverted away from the protected component.

13. The electronic circuit of claim 12 wherein the protected component comprises a millimeter-wave package.

14. The electronic circuit of claim 12 wherein the protected component comprises a radio-frequency amplifier.

15. The electronic circuit of claim 12 wherein the protected component comprises a duplexor filter.

16. The electronic circuit of claim 12 wherein the protected component comprises a radio-frequency point filter.

17. A method for dissipating an electrostatic discharge signal in an electronic circuit, the method comprising:

detecting a signal intended for a normal operating path at a node, the signal exceeding a threshold magnitude;

diverting the signal from the normal operating path to a current-shunt path, the current-shunt path including a semi-conductive dielectric layer and a current-shunt node; and

dissipating the signal at the current-shunt node electrically coupled to the semi-conductive dielectric layer.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

diverting the signal from the normal operating path to a second current-shunt path, the second current-shunt path including a second semi-conductive dielectric layer and a second current-shunt node; and

dissipating the signal at the second current-shunt node electrically coupled to the semi-conductive dielectric layer.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the dissipating the signal at the current-shunt node comprises dissipating the signal in a ground plane.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the dissipating the signal at the current-shunt node comprises dissipating the signal in a battery plane.