Protection circuit for a transistor
View Patent ↗A protection circuit for transistor that avoids the use of performance hindering resistors or diodes or capacitors includes a routing circuit for routing an electrostatic discharge current around the transistor and a detection circuit that switches on the routing circuit when a breakdown current in the transistor exceeds a threshold.
1. A protection circuit for a transistor comprising:
routing circuit for routing an electrostatic discharge current around the transistor;
detection circuit that switches on the routing circuit by detecting a breakdown current in the transistor;
wherein the detection circuit comprises a resistor coupled between a node and a gate of the transistor.
2. The protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein the resistor is selected in response to an amount of current in the gate that is significant but not destructive to the transistor.
3. A protection circuit for a transistor comprising:
routing circuit for routing an electrostatic discharge current around the transistor;
detection circuit that switches on the routing circuit by detecting a breakdown current in the transistor;
a bypass circuit that enables an AC signal to bypass the detection circuit into the transistor.
4. The protection circuit of claim 3 , wherein the bypass circuit comprises a capacitor.
5. The protection circuit of claim 4 , wherein the capacitor is selected in response to a lowest operating frequency for the transistor.
6. A method for protecting a transistor from an electrostatic discharge current comprising detecting when a breakdown current in the transistor caused by the electrostatic discharge current exceeds a threshold and then routing the electrostatic discharge current around the transistor wherein detecting comprises developing a voltage drop across a component.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein developing comprises developing across a resistor.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising selecting the resistor in response to an amount of current in the gate that is significant but not destructive to the transistor.
9. A method for protecting a transistor from an electrostatic discharge current comprising detecting means detecting when a breakdown current in the transistor caused by the electrostatic discharge current exceeds a threshold and then routing the electrostatic discharge current around the transistor, further comprising enabling an AC signal to bypass the detecting means into the transistor.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein bypassing comprises bypassing using a capacitor.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising selecting the capacitor in response to a lowest operating frequency for the transistor.