Electrical overstress recording and/or harvesting

• US 9,871,373 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices International Unlimited Company (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Analog Devices Global Unlimited Company (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Donnell, Alan J., Aherne, David, Salcedo, Javier Alejandro, Clarke, David J., Cleary, John A., McGuinness, Patrick Martin, O'Grady, Albert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Danny
• Application Number:
  US14/671,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20160285255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 361 56, 361 911, 361111
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32145 the bodies being stacked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32245 the item being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48145 the bodies being stacked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0248 for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection
• 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 2924/00012 Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 9/02 responsive to excess current current limitation for voltage regulators G05F1/573; disconnection after limiting H02H3/025
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 9/04 responsive to excess voltage lightning arrestors H01C7/12, H01C8/04, H01G9/18, H01T
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 9/042 comprising means to limit the absorbed power or indicate damaged over-voltage protection device
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 9/046 responsive to excess voltage appearing at terminals of integrated circuits protection by specific structural integration design H01L27/0248
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Aspects of this disclosure relate to detecting and recording information associated with electrical overstress (EOS) events, such as electrostatic discharge (ESD) events. For example, in one embodiment, an apparatus includes an electrical overstress protection device, a detection circuit configured to detect an occurrence of the EOS event, and a memory configured to store information indicative of the EOS event.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an electrical overstress sense device;

a detection circuit electrically coupled to the electrical overstress sense device, the detection circuit configured to detect an occurrence of an electrical overstress event;

an electrical overstress protection device configured to provide electrical overstress protection for the electrical overstress sense device, wherein the electrical overstress device is in parallel with the electrical overstress sense device; and

a memory configured to store information indicative of the electrical overstress event detected by the detection circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a resistive element coupled between the electrical overstress sense device and a low reference voltage, the resistive element also coupled between an input of the detection circuit and the low reference voltage reference.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the electrical overstress protection device is in parallel with a series combination of the electrical overstress sense device and the resistive element.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrical overstress sense device is a scaled down replica of the electrical overstress protection device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an input pin, an internal circuit, and an electrical overstress isolation device coupled between the input pin and the internal circuit, wherein the electrical overstress sense device is electrically connected to the input pin.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detection circuit is configured to measure the electrical overstress event.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the information indicative of the electrical overstress event stored by the memory comprises an indication of an intensity of the electrical overstress event.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the detection circuit comprises at least one comparator configured to compare a voltage associated with the electrical overstress event with a reference voltage.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a reporting circuit configured to provide the information indicative of the electrical overstress event to external circuitry.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the information indicative of the electrical overstress event comprises voltage information associated with the electrical overstress event.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the detection circuit is configured to measure a duration of the electrical overstress event.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the detection circuit is configured to measure the electrical overstress event while the apparatus is unpowered.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the electrical overstress event comprises an indication of a number of electrical overstress events detected by the detection circuit.

14. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the memory comprises non-volatile memory elements.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detection circuit comprises a plurality of fuse elements each configured to blow at different voltage levels, and wherein the memory comprises the plurality of fuse elements.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a storage element configured to store energy associated with the electrical overstress event.

17. An apparatus comprising:

an electrical overstress sense device;

a detection circuit electrically connected to the electrical overstress sense device, the detection circuit configured to detect an occurrence of an electrical overstress event, wherein the electrical overstress sense device and the detection circuit are embodied on a single die; and

a reporting circuit in communication with the detection circuit, the reporting circuit configured to provide information indicative of the electrical overstress event detected by the detection circuit, wherein the information indicative of the electrical overstress event is indicative of at least one of functional safety of the single die or functional safety of an electronic system that includes the single die and other electronic components.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the information indicative of the electrical overstress event is indicative of functional safety of the single die.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the information indicative of the electrical overstress event is indicative of functional safety of an electronic system that includes the single die and other electronic components.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a pin, wherein the electrical overstress sense device is coupled between the pin and the detection circuit;

a resistive element in series with the electrical overstress sense device, wherein the detection circuit is electrically connected to a node between the resistive element and the electrical overstress sense device; and

an electrical overstress protection device in parallel with a series combination of the resistive element and the electrical overstress sense device, the electrical overstress protection device configured to provide electrical overstress protection for the electrical overstress sense device.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein circuitry protected by the electrical overstress protection device is external to the single die.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a storage element configured to store energy associated with the electrical overstress event.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the reporting circuit is configured to wirelessly transmit the information indicative of the electrical overstress event.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the reporting circuit is configured to provide the information indicative of the electrical overstress event external to the single die.

25. An electronically-implemented method of recording information associated with an electrical overstress event, the method comprising:

detecting, using detection circuitry electrically connected to an electrical overstress sense device, an occurrence of an electrical overstress event;

providing electrical overstress protection for the electrical overstress sense device using an electrical overstress protection device, wherein the electrical overstress protection device is in parallel with the electrical overstress sense device; and

recording information associated with the occurrence of the electrical overstress event to a memory.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising reporting the information associated with the occurrence of the electrical overstress event external to a die on which the detection circuit is embodied.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the information associated with the occurrence of the electrical overstress event comprises information indicative of an intensity of the electrical overstress event.

28. An apparatus comprising:

an electrical overstress sense device;

a detection circuit electrically coupled to the electrical overstress sense device, the detection circuit configured to detect an occurrence of an electrical overstress event; and

a memory comprising fuse elements configured to blow at different electrical overstress event levels, wherein the fuse elements are configured to store information indicative of the electrical overstress event detected by the detection circuit.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the detection circuit comprises the fuse elements.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising an input/output contact and an internal circuit electrically connected to the input/output contact by way of an electrical overstress isolation device, wherein the electrical overstress sense device is electrically connected to the input/output contact.

31. An apparatus comprising:

a signal contact configured to receive an input/output signal;

an internal circuit;

an electrical overstress isolation device coupled between the signal contact and the internal circuit;

an electrical overstress protection device electrically connected to the signal contact; and

a detection circuit electrically coupled to the electrical overstress protection device, the detection circuit configured to detect an occurrence of an electrical overstress event and to measure an intensity of the electrical overstress event.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the detection circuit is configured to measure the intensity by detecting a voltage level associated with the electrical overstress event.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, further comprising a memory configured to store information indicative of the electrical overstress event detected by the detection circuit.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the signal contact is an input pin.