Latch-up protection circuit for integrated circuits using complementary mos circuit technology

摘要

A latch-up protection circuit for an integrated circuit using complementary MOS circuit technology has a substrate bias generator that applies a negative substrate bias to a semiconductor substrate having a p-conductive material into which a well-shaped semiconductor zone of n-conductive material is inserted. In order to avoid latch-up effects in the integrated circuit, an electronic protection circuit interrupts the capacitive charging currents of a capacitor in the substrate depending on the potential of the semiconductor substrate which is taken at a doped substrate bias terminal. The electronic protection circuit connects a capacitor bias generator to the capacitor when a voltage on the substrate bias terminal is less than a sum of a reference potential and a threshold voltage of a first transistor in the electronic protection circuit. The electronic protection circuit disconnects the capacitive bias generator from the capacitor when a voltage on the substrate bias terminal is greater than the sum. During normal operation the electronic protection circuit does not load a supply voltage source or a substrate bias voltage source with current.