A new ESD protection structure for high-speed GaAs RF ICs

Author

Sun, Maoyou ; Lu, Yicheng

Author_Institution

Vitesse Semicond. Inc., Somerset, NJ, USA

Volume

26

Issue

3

fYear

2005

fDate

3/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

133

Lastpage

135

Abstract

We demonstrate a new electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection structure for high-speed GaAs RF ICs. The structure is composed of small diodes and large transistors using an InGaP heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) technology. Its loading effect and its robustness are evaluated experimentally. The impedance of the new structure at OFF state, represented with an equivalent shunt capacitance and an equivalent shunt resistance, are 0.22 pF and 500 Ω at 10 GHz. The structure can withstand +2700-V and -2900-V human body model ESD pulses. It can clamp voltage more effectively than the conventional diode-based ESD structure. The new structure can be used to protect 10 Gb/s input/output pins of high-speed RF ICs against ESD.

Keywords

III-V semiconductors; bipolar integrated circuits; electrostatic discharge; gallium arsenide; heterojunction bipolar transistors; high-speed integrated circuits; indium compounds; microwave integrated circuits; radiofrequency integrated circuits; semiconductor diodes; 0.22 pF; 10 GHz; 500 ohm; ESD electrostatic discharge; GaAs-InGaP; HBT technology; diodes; equivalent shunt capacitance; equivalent shunt resistance; heterojunction bipolar transistor technology; high-speed RFIC; human body model; loading effect; protection structure; transistors; Capacitance; Diodes; Electrostatic discharge; Gallium arsenide; Heterojunction bipolar transistors; Immune system; Impedance; Protection; Radio frequency; Robustness; Bipolar; GaAs; InGaP heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT); RF ICs; electrostatic discharge (ESD); high-speed; human body model (HBM);

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Electron Device Letters, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0741-3106

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/LED.2004.842641

Filename

1397837