Novel Active ESD Clamps for High-Voltage Applications

Large power MOS transistors (bigMOS) have potential electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection capabilities and are often used in actively controlled ESD clamps. In high-voltage and especially automotive applications ranging typically from 10 to 100 V operation voltage, statically triggered active ESD clamps are often used due to their false triggering safety. This paper presents novel statically triggered active ESD clamps, which rely on advanced trigger circuits optimizing the gate control of the bigMOS. With enhanced tailoring to the application requirements, the active ESD clamps substantially improve clamp area efficiency and significantly reduce ESD window requirements.