Abstract: A circuit comprising a NMOS having a gate coupled to a first node and a source terminal coupled to a second node, a second NMOS having a gate coupled to the second node and a source terminal coupled to an output node, a PMOS having a gate coupled to a third node, a drain terminal coupled to a fourth node, and a source terminal coupled to a fifth node, and a second PMOS having a gate coupled to the fourth node, a drain terminal coupled to the output node, and a source terminal coupled to the fifth node. The circuit also includes a voltage protection sub-circuit coupled to the first node, a fast turn-off sub-circuit coupled to the output node, a fast turn-on sub-circuit coupled to the third and fourth nodes, and a node initialization sub-circuit coupled to the first, second, and fourth nodes and the fast turn-on sub-circuit.

Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) device with fast response to high transient currents. The ESD device includes a short-pulse discharge (SPD) path and a long-pulse discharge (LPD) path. The SPD path provides robust response to ESD events, and it triggers a self-bias configuration of the LPD path. Advantageously, the SPD path reduces the risk of ESD voltage overshoot by promptly discharging short-pulse currents, such as a charge device model (CDM) current, whereas the LPD path provides efficient discharge of long-pulse currents, such as a human body model (HBM) current. In one implementation, for example, the SPD path includes a MOS transistor, and the LPD includes a bipolar transistor having a base coupled to the source of the MOS transistor.

Abstract: A mechanism and method for calendaring a plurality of events such as scheduling the operation of interrelated machines which perform a process flow. Future time is divided into segments, called buckets, of increasing length. The first two buckets are of the same size and each of the following buckets twice as large as its preceding bucket. The first bucket slides so as to always cover a specified length of time following the current time. Events scheduled in the calendar is added to the appropriate bucket, depending on how far in the future it is to take place. When the current time equals the scheduled time for an event, then that event is removed from the bucket where it resides. When a bucket has become empty because all events have been removed from it, the events in the following bucket are distributed over the two buckets preceding it.