NANOTUBE ESD PROTECTIVE DEVICES AND CORRESPONDING NONVOLATILE AND VOLATILE NANOTUBE SWITCHES

摘要

Nanotube ESD protective devices and corresponding nonvolatile and volatile nanotube switches. An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit for protecting a protected circuit is coupled to an input pad. The ESD circuit includes a nanotube switch electrically having a control. The switch is coupled to the protected circuit and to a discharge path. The nanotube switc h is controllable, in response to electrical stimulation of the control, betwe en a de-activated state and an activate state. The activated state creates a current path so that a signal on the input pad flows to the discharge path t o cause the signal at the input pad to remain within a predefined operable ran ge for the protected circuit. The nanotube switch, the input pad, and the protected circuit may be on a semiconductor chip. The nanotube switch may be on a chip carrier. The deactivated and activated states may be volatile or n on- volatile depending on the embodiment. The ESD circuit may be repeatedly programmed between the activated and deactivated states so as to repeatedly activate and deactivate ESD protection of the protected circuit. The nanotub e switch provides protection based on the magnitude of the signal on the input pad.