ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE PROTECITON NETWORK HAVING DISTRIBUTED COMPONENTS CONNECTED WITH INDUCTORS

摘要

An electronic discharge protection network comprising electrostatic discharge (ESD) clamp devices distributed between turns of a coil shaped inductor. The inductance of the coil shaped inductor and parasitic capacitance of the ESD clamp devices form a low pass filter structure having a very high cut-off frenquency. Below the low pass filter cutoff frequency, the capacitive influence of the ESD clamp devices are cancelled by the series inductance of the coil shaped inductor. The turns of the coil shaped inductor may be fabricated on insulation layers proximate to one another so as to achieve close magnetic coupling therebetween, thereby achieving a larger inductance value for a given sized coil structure. Improved input and output impedance matching is also achieved by adjusting the inductive and capacitive components of the low pass filter structure formed by the coil shaped inductor and capacitance of the ESD clamp devices. The components of the electrostatic discharge protection network may be fabricated on a non-conductive substrate of various types of materials, on a printed circuit board or chassis with discrete components, and on a monolithic semiconductor integrated circuit die.