IP Library Granted Patent US 11,456,595
Granted Patent B2
US 11,456,595 · App. 17/209,806 · Granted Sep 27, 2022

Electrostatic protection circuit and semiconductor device including the same

Inventor: Janghoo Kim (Yongin-si, KR)
H02H9/02H01L27/02H01L27/0266H02H9/04G06F3/06H02H9/046
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,456,595
App. No.
17/209,806
Granted
Sep 27, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

An electrostatic protection circuit includes first and second diodes, a resistor and a capacitor, an inverter configured to invert a signal to output an inverted signal to a gate-coupled transistor, a first switch configured to block a first leakage current from flowing through a pull-up driver in response to the inverted signal, and a second switch configured to block a second leakage current from flowing through a pull-down driver in response to the signal.

Claims (78)

1. An electrostatic protection circuit comprising:

a first diode including an anode electrically connected to a first terminal and a cathode electrically connected to a second terminal;

a second diode including an anode electrically connected to a third terminal and a cathode electrically connected to the first terminal;

a resistor electrically connected between the second terminal and a first node;

a capacitor electrically connected between the first node and the third terminal;

an inverter electrically connected between the first node and a second node, the inverter configured to invert a signal of the first node to generate an inverted signal, and to provide the inverted signal to the second node;

a gate-coupled transistor electrically connected between the second terminal and the third terminal, the gate-coupled transistor including a gate electrically connected to the second node such that the gate-coupled transistor is configured to respond to the inverted signal of the second node;

a first switch configured to block a first leakage current from flowing from the first terminal to the second terminal through a pull-up driver, in response to the inverted signal of the second node; and

a second switch configured to block a second leakage current from flowing from the first terminal to the third terminal through a pull-down driver, in response to the signal of the first node.

2. The electrostatic protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein the first terminal is a signal input and/or output terminal, the second terminal is a power voltage terminal, and the third terminal is a ground voltage terminal.

3. The electrostatic protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein the gate-coupled transistor is an NMOS transistor.

4. The electrostatic protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein

the pull-up driver includes a pull-up transistor electrically connected between the second terminal and the first terminal, and

the first switch is a PMOS transistor including a gate electrically connected to the second node, a drain electrically connected to a substrate of the pull-up transistor, and a source and a substrate electrically connected to the second terminal.

5. The electrostatic protection circuit of claim 4 , wherein

the pull-down driver includes a pull-down transistor electrically connected between the first terminal and the third terminal, and

the second switch is an NMOS transistor includes a gate electrically connected to the first node, a drain electrically connected to a substrate of the pull-down transistor, and a source and a substrate electrically connected to the third terminal.

6. The electrostatic protection circuit of claim 1 , wherein

the pull-up driver includes a plurality of pull-up transistors electrically connected in parallel to each other between the second terminal and the first terminal, the plurality of pull-up transistors being different sizes with at least one of the plurality of pull-up transistors being a reduced-size pull-up transistor smaller than other ones of the plurality of pull-up transistors, and

the first switch is at least one PMOS transistor each including a gate electrically connected to the second node, a drain electrically connected to a substrate of the reduced-size pull-up transistor, and a source and a substrate electrically connected to the second terminal.

7. The electrostatic protection circuit of claim 6 , wherein

the pull-down driver includes a plurality of pull-down transistors electrically connected in parallel to each other between the first terminal and the third terminal, the plurality of pull-down transistors having different sizes with at least one of the plurality of pull-down transistors being a reduced-size pull-down transistor smaller than other ones of the plurality of pull-down transistors, and

the second switch is at least one NMOS transistor including a gate electrically connected to the first node, a drain electrically connected to a substrate of the reduced-size pull-down transistor, and a source and a substrate electrically connected to the third terminal.

8. A semiconductor device, comprising:

an output driver including a pull-up driver electrically connected between a first terminal and a second terminal and configured to respond to pull-up data, and a pull-down driver electrically connected between the first terminal and a third terminal and configured to respond to pull-down data; and

an electrostatic protection circuit including,

a first diode including an anode electrically connected to the first terminal and a cathode electrically connected to the second terminal,

a second diode including an anode electrically connected to the third terminal and a cathode electrically connected to the first terminal,

a resistor electrically connected between the second terminal and a first node,

a capacitor electrically connected between the first node and the third terminal,

an inverter electrically connected between the first node and a second node, the inverter configured to invert a signal of the first node to generate an inverted signal, and to provide the inverted signal to the second node,

a gate-coupled transistor electrically connected between the second terminal and the third terminal, the gate-coupled transistor including a gate electrically connected to the second node such that the gate-coupled transistor is configured to respond to the inverted signal of the second node,

a first switch electrically connected between a substrate of the pull-up driver and the second terminal, the first switch configured to block a first leakage current from flowing from the first terminal to the second terminal through the substrate of the pull-up driver, in response to the inverted signal of the second node, and

a second switch electrically connected between a substrate of the pull-down driver and the third terminal, the second switch configured to block a second leakage current from flowing from the first terminal to the third terminal through the substrate of the pull-down driver, in response to the signal of the first node.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 8 , wherein the first terminal is a signal input and/or output terminal, the second terminal is a power voltage terminal, and the third terminal is a ground voltage terminal.

10. The semiconductor device of claim 8 , wherein the gate-coupled transistor is an NMOS transistor.

11. The semiconductor device of claim 8 , wherein

the pull-up driver includes a pull-up transistor electrically connected between the second terminal and the first terminal, the pull-up transistor including a gate configured to receive the pull-up data such that the pull-up driver is configured to respond to the pull-up data, and

the first switch is a PMOS transistor including a gate electrically connected to the second node, a drain electrically connected to the substrate of the pull-up driver, and a source and a substrate electrically connected to the second terminal.

12. The semiconductor device of claim 11 , wherein

the pull-down driver includes a pull-down transistor electrically connected between the first terminal and the third terminal, the pull-down transistor including a gate configured to receive the pull-down data such that the pull-down driver is configured to respond to the pull-down data, and

the second switch is an NMOS transistor including a gate electrically connected to the first node, a drain electrically connected to the substrate of the pull-down driver, and a source and a substrate electrically connected to the third terminal.

13. The semiconductor device of claim 8 , wherein

the pull-up driver includes a plurality of pull-up transistors electrically connected in parallel to each other between the second terminal and the first terminal, the plurality of pull-up transistors configured to respond to respective bits of the pull-up data, the plurality of pull-up transistors being different sizes with at least one of the plurality of pull-up transistors being a reduced-size pull-up transistor smaller than other ones of the plurality of pull-up transistors, and

the first switch is at least one PMOS transistor each including a gate electrically connected to the second node, a drain electrically connected to a substrate of the reduced-size pull-up transistor, and a source and a substrate electrically connected to the second terminal.

14. The semiconductor device of claim 13 , wherein

the pull-down driver includes a plurality of pull-down transistors electrically connected in parallel to each other between the second terminal and the third terminal, the plurality of pull-up transistors configured to respond to respective bits of the pull-down data, the plurality of pull-down transistors having different sizes with at least one of the plurality of pull-down transistors being a reduced-size pull-down transistor smaller than other ones of the plurality of pull-down transistors, and

the second switch is at least one second NMOS transistor including a gate electrically connected to the first node, a drain electrically connected to a substrate of the reduced-size pull-down transistor, and a source and a substrate electrically connected to the third terminal.

15. A semiconductor memory device comprising:

a command and address generator configured to,

generate an active command, a read command, and an impedance adjustment command by decoding an inversion chip selection signal and a command signal included in a command/address signal in response to a clock signal,

generate a row address based on an address signal included in the command/address signal, in response to the active command, and

generate a column address based on the address signal, in response to the read command;

a row decoder configured to generate word line selection signals by decoding the row address;

a column decoder configured to generate column selection signals by decoding the column address;

a memory cell array configured to output data from a plurality of memory cells selected in response to the word line selection signals and the column selection signals;

a data read path unit configured to input the data, and to generate read data;

a pre-driver configured to generate bits of pull-up data or pull-down data, in response to the read data; and

a circuit electrically connected between a power voltage terminal and a ground voltage terminal and configured to, when the read command is generated, generate output data to a data terminal in response to the bits of the pull-up data or the pull-down data, and configured to, when static electricity is applied, perform an electrostatic discharge operation, the circuit including,

a main driver including a pull-up driver electrically connected between the data terminal and the power voltage terminal, and a pull-down driver electrically connected between the data terminal and the ground voltage terminal; and

an electrostatic protection circuit including:

a first diode including an anode electrically connected to the data terminal and a cathode electrically connected to the power voltage terminal,

a second diode including an anode electrically connected to the ground voltage terminal and a cathode electrically connected to the data terminal,

a resistor electrically connected between the power voltage terminal and a first node,

a capacitor electrically connected between the first node and the ground voltage terminal,

an inverter electrically connected between the first node and a second node, the inverter configured to invert a signal of the first node to generate an inverted signal, and to provide the inverted signal to the second node,

a gate-coupled transistor electrically connected between the power voltage terminal and the ground voltage terminal, the gate-coupled transistor including a gate electrically connected to the second node such that the gate-coupled transistor is configured to respond to the inverted signal of the second node,

a first switch electrically connected between a substrate of the pull-up driver and the power voltage terminal, the first switch configured to block a first leakage current from flowing from the data terminal to the power voltage terminal through the substrate of the pull-up driver, in response to the inverted signal of the second node, and

a second switch electrically connected between a substrate of the pull-down driver and the ground voltage terminal, the second switch configured to block a second leakage current from flowing from the data terminal to the ground voltage terminal through the substrate of the pull-down driver, in response to the signal of the first node.

16. The semiconductor memory device of claim 15 , wherein the gate-coupled transistor is an NMOS transistor.

17. The semiconductor memory device of claim 15 , wherein

the pull-up driver includes a plurality of pull-up transistors electrically connected in parallel to each other between the power voltage terminal and the data terminal, the plurality of pull-up transistors configured to respond to respective bits of the pull-up data, and

the first switch is at least one PMOS transistor each including a gate electrically connected to the second node, a drain electrically connected to a substrate of at least one pull-up transistor among the plurality of pull-up transistors, and a source and a substrate connected to the ground voltage terminal.

18. The semiconductor memory device of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of pull-up transistors have different sizes such that the at least one pull-up transistor is a reduced-size pull-up transistor smaller than other ones of the plurality of pull-up transistors.

19. The semiconductor memory device of claim 15 , wherein

the pull-down driver includes a plurality of pull-down transistors electrically connected in parallel to each other between the ground voltage terminal and the data terminal, the plurality of pull-down transistors configured to respond to respective bits of the pull-down data, and

the second switch is at least one second NMOS transistor including a gate electrically connected to the first node, a drain electrically connected to a substrate of at least one pull-down transistor among the plurality of pull-down transistors, and a source and a substrate connected to the ground voltage terminal.

20. The semiconductor memory device of claim 19 , wherein the plurality of pull-down transistors have different sizes such that the at least one pull-down transistor is a reduced-size pull-down transistor smaller than other ones of the plurality of pull-down transistors.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 26, 2021
From: KIM, JANGHOO
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 055736/0778 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2020-0124475 · Sep 25, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220102968A1 · Mar 31, 2022
Cited By (1)
US 12,451,879