Patents by Inventor Olivier Marichal
Olivier Marichal has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 10181464Abstract: Disclosed is an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit. The ESD protection circuit may include a silicon controller rectifier (SCR) which may be triggered via at least one of its first trigger gate or second trigger gate. The ESD protection circuit may further include a highly doped region coupled to either the anode or cathode of the SCR, wherein the highly doped region may provide additional carriers to facilitate triggering of the SCR during an ESD event, whereby the SCR may be triggered more quickly.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2017Date of Patent: January 15, 2019Assignee: SOFICS BVBAInventors: Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp, Olivier Marichal
-
Publication number: 20180006016Abstract: Disclosed is an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit. The ESD protection circuit may include a silicon controller rectifier (SCR) which may be triggered via at least one of its first trigger gate or second trigger gate. The ESD protection circuit may further include a highly doped region coupled to either the anode or cathode of the SCR, wherein the highly doped region may provide additional carriers to facilitate triggering of the SCR during an ESD event, whereby the SCR may be triggered more quickly.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 16, 2017Publication date: January 4, 2018Applicant: Sofics BVBAInventors: Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp, Olivier Marichal
-
Patent number: 9685431Abstract: Disclosed is an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit. The ESD protection circuit may include a silicon controller rectifier (SCR) which may be triggered via at least one of its first trigger gate or second trigger gate. The ESD protection circuit may further include a highly doped region coupled to either the anode or cathode of the SCR, wherein the highly doped region may provide additional carriers to facilitate triggering of the SCR during an ESD event, whereby the SCR may be triggered more quickly.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2014Date of Patent: June 20, 2017Assignee: SOFICS BVBAInventors: Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp, Olivier Marichal
-
Patent number: 9042065Abstract: An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit is disclosed including at least a clamping device, a switching device, and a voltage limiter. The ESD protection circuit may include devices of different voltage domains. The switching device may be in series with the clamping device to block at least a portion of a voltage from dropping across the clamping device. The switching device may sustain higher maximum operating voltages than the clamping device.Type: GrantFiled: December 7, 2012Date of Patent: May 26, 2015Assignee: Sofics BVBAInventors: Sven Van Wijmeersch, Benjamin Van Camp, Olivier Marichal, Johan Van der Borght
-
Patent number: 9041054Abstract: A high holding voltage (HV) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit comprises a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) device and compensation regions located within the length between the anode and cathode (LAC) of the SCR device which increase the holding voltage of the SCR device. The compensation regions may introduce negative feedback mechanisms into the SCR device which may influence the loop gain of the SCR and cause it to reach regenerative feedback at a higher holding voltage.Type: GrantFiled: February 14, 2014Date of Patent: May 26, 2015Assignee: Sofics BVBAInventors: Sven Van Wijmeersch, Olivier Marichal
-
Publication number: 20150091056Abstract: Disclosed is an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit. The ESD protection circuit may include a silicon controller rectifier (SCR) which may be triggered via at least one of its first trigger gate or second trigger gate. The ESD protection circuit may further include a highly doped region coupled to either the anode or cathode of the SCR, wherein the highly doped region may provide additional carriers to facilitate triggering of the SCR during an ESD event, whereby the SCR may be triggered more quickly.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 29, 2014Publication date: April 2, 2015Applicant: SOFICS BVBAInventors: Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp, Olivier Marichal
-
Publication number: 20140159102Abstract: A high holding voltage (HV) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit comprises a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) device and compensation regions located within the length between the anode and cathode (LAC) of the SCR device which increase the holding voltage of the SCR device. The compensation regions may introduce negative feedback mechanisms into the SCR device which may influence the loop gain of the SCR and cause it to reach regenerative feedback at a higher holding voltage.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 14, 2014Publication date: June 12, 2014Applicant: SOFICS BVBAInventors: Sven Van Wijmeersch, Olivier Marichal
-
Patent number: 8653557Abstract: A high holding voltage (HV) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit comprises a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) device and compensation regions located within the length between the anode and cathode (LAC) of the SCR device which increase the holding voltage of the SCR device. The compensation regions may introduce negative feedback mechanisms into the SCR device which may influence the loop gain of the SCR and cause it to reach regenerative feedback at a higher holding voltage.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2011Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: Sofics BVBAInventors: Sven Van Wijmeersch, Olivier Marichal
-
Patent number: 8143700Abstract: The present invention provides an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit with a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) having a plurality of SCR fingers (SCRs) with the advantages to couple the different fingers or SCRs to decrease the multi-triggering problem and to increase the ESD-performance of the circuit. Additionally, a boost circuit can be introduced or additionally multiple SCRs can be coupled inherent through a common base.Type: GrantFiled: December 29, 2008Date of Patent: March 27, 2012Assignee: Sofics BVBAInventors: Pieter Vanysacker, Benjamin Van Camp, Olivier Marichal, Wybo Geert, Steven Thijs, Gerd Vermont
-
Publication number: 20110204415Abstract: A high holding voltage (HV) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit comprises a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) device and compensation regions located within the length between the anode and cathode (LAC) of the SCR device which increase the holding voltage of the SCR device. The compensation regions may introduce negative feedback mechanisms into the SCR device which may influence the loop gain of the SCR and cause it to reach regenerative feedback at a higher holding voltage.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 17, 2011Publication date: August 25, 2011Applicant: SOFICS BVBAInventors: Sven Van Wijmeersch, Olivier Marichal
-
Publication number: 20090101938Abstract: The present invention provides an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit with a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) having a plurality of SCR fingers (SCRs) with the advantages to couple the different fingers or SCRs to decrease the multi-triggering problem and to increase the ESD-performance of the circuit. Additionally, a boost circuit can be introduced or additionally multiple SCRs can be coupled inherent through a common base.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 29, 2008Publication date: April 23, 2009Applicants: SARNOFF CORPORATION, SARNOFF EUROPEInventors: Pieter Vanysacker, Benjamin Van Camp, Olivier Marichal, Wybo Geert, Steven Thijs, Gerd Vermont
-
Publication number: 20080218920Abstract: An apparatus having an inter-domain electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit for protection of an integrated circuit (IC) with multiple power domains. The protection circuit in response to an ESD event provides an ESD protection between different power domains. Specifically, the protection circuit comprises at least one clamp coupled to one power domain, which conducts current during an ESD event to provide extra current in the interface line between the two different power domains. This extra current also in turn increases the voltage over the impedance element on the interface line, thus improving the design margins for the ESD protection and providing a better ESD protection capability for IC products.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 6, 2008Publication date: September 11, 2008Applicants: SARNOFF CORPORATION, SARNOFF EUROPE BVBAInventors: Pieter Vanysacker, Olivier Marichal, Bart Sorgeloos, Benjamin Van Camp, Bart Keppens, Johan Van der Borght
-
Publication number: 20070002508Abstract: The present invention provides an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit with a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) having a plurality of SCR fingers (SCRs) with the advantages to couple the different fingers or SCRs to decrease the multi-triggering problem and to increase the ESD-performance of the circuit. Additionally, a boost circuit can be introduced or additionally multiple SCRs can be coupled inherent through a common base.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 30, 2006Publication date: January 4, 2007Inventors: Pieter Vanysacker, Benjamin Van Camp, Olivier Marichal, Wybo Geert, Steven Thijs, Gerd Vermont
-
Publication number: 20050212051Abstract: A silicon-on-insulator (SOI) electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device that can protect very sensitive thin gate oxides by limiting the power dissipation during the ESD event, which is best achieved by reducing the voltage drop across the active (protection) device during an ESD event. In one embodiment, the invention provides very low triggering and holding voltages. Furthermore, the SOI protection device of the present invention has low impedance and low power dissipation characteristics that reduce voltage build-up, and accordingly, enable designers to fabricate more area efficient protection device.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 10, 2005Publication date: September 29, 2005Inventors: Phillip Jozwiak, John Armer, Koen Gerard Verhaege, Benjamin Van Camp, Gerd Vermont, Olivier Marichal