摘要 |
An arrangement for protecting an element from electro-static discharge. A switch is provided to inhibit the flow of energy through the element in response to the control signal. In the illustrative embodiment, the switch is a transistor switch. A resistor is disposed between an input terminal of the transistor and the positive supply to keep the transistor on during normal operation. A capacitor is disposed between the input terminal of the transistor and ground to prevent the input voltage of the transistor from fast changing. The RC time constant is chosen to be much larger than the time constant of the ESD pulse. Consequently, input voltage of the transistor will remain unchanged near OV and the transistor will remain off during ESD event preventing the element from conducting the discharge current and providing ESD protection. |