ESD protection design with lateral DMOS transistor in 40-V BCD technology

ESD protection designs for smart power applications with lateral double-diffused MOS (LDMOS) transistor were proposed. With the proposed ESD detection circuits, the n-channel LDMOS can be quickly turned on to protect the output drivers during ESD stress. The proposed ESD protection circuits have been successfully verified in a 0.35-μm 5-V/40-V bipolar CMOS DMOS (BCD) process. In addition, the power-rail ESD protection design can be also achieved with stacked structure to protect 40-V power pins without latchup issue in the smart power ICs.