Abstract: A system and method are provided for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit having overshoot and undershoot voltage protection during a power supply ramp-up of the circuit. In a specific embodiment, the ESD protection circuit of the present invention includes an ESD discharge circuit coupled between a power supply node and a ground supply node, a trigger circuit coupled to the ESD discharge circuit, the trigger circuit to turn the ESD discharge circuit on in the presence of a voltage spike during the power supply ramp-up and to turn the ESD discharge circuit off in the absence of a voltage spike during the power supply ramp-up, and a delay circuit coupled between the discharge circuit and the trigger circuit, the delay circuit to slow down the turn-off of the discharge circuit to prevent an overshoot or undershoot voltage condition during the power supply ramp-up of the circuit.

Abstract: Electrostatic discharge and electrical overstress protection circuit is disclosed to include a discharging circuit, a detection circuit and a controller. The controller is operable to sense and compare the output voltage from the detection circuit to a reference voltage. The controller, upon detection of a normal operating condition or an electrical overstress (EOS) situation, is operable to cause the discharging circuit to discharge any excess voltage from the voltage supply to the electrical ground at a safety voltage level. The controller, upon detection of an electrostatic discharge (ESD) event, is operable to cause the discharging circuit to discharge the excess voltage at a second voltage level that is less than the safety voltage level.

Abstract: A process and system for estimating the occurrence of single event latch-up in an integrated circuit. The process involves determining the resistance between each junction and the closest appropriate tap in a regular shaped well. Each junction occurring in an irregular-shaped well is also identified. Finally, the method may make suggestions for lowering the probability that single event latch-up may occur in the integrated circuit.

Abstract: A process and system for estimating the occurrence of single event latch-up in an integrated circuit. The process involves determining the resistance between each junction and the closest appropriate tap in a regular shaped well. Each junction occurring in an irregular-shaped well is also identified. Finally, the method may make suggestions for lowering the probability that single event latch-up may occur in the integrated circuit.

Abstract: Circuits are disclosed for protecting internal circuitry of a semiconductor chip from increased power supply voltages due to electrostatic discharge (EDS). One example circuit includes a trigger circuit including a transistor and a capacitor arranged in series between DC pads. The trigger circuit generates a trigger signal to a discharge circuit connected between the DC pads to shunt charge from one of the DC pads to the other. The RC delay associated with the transistor and capacitor of the trigger circuit may be designed such that the trigger circuit generates the trigger signal in response to an ESD event, but not in response to high positive spikes on one of the DC pads during normal operation.

Abstract: An integrated circuit having an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit, a core protection circuit, a sensitive core circuit and peripheral circuitry is provided. The ESD protection circuit is coupled between the VDD voltage supply terminal and the VSS voltage supply terminal, and is capable of providing protection to the peripheral circuitry. The ESD protection circuitry requires help from core protection circuit to protect the sensitive core circuit. The core protection circuit and the sensitive core circuit are coupled in series between the VDD and VSS voltage supply terminals, with the core protection circuit coupled to the VDD voltage supply terminal. The sensitive core circuit has a VCC voltage supply terminal coupled to receive a VCC supply voltage from the core protection circuit. The core protection circuit is configured to cause the VCC supply voltage to rise slowly with respect to a rising voltage on the VDD voltage supply terminal during power-on of the integrated circuit.

Abstract: An integrated circuit having an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit, a core protection circuit, a sensitive core circuit and peripheral circuitry is provided. The ESD protection circuit is coupled between the VDD voltage supply terminal and the VSS voltage supply terminal, and is capable of providing protection to the peripheral circuitry. The ESD protection circuitry requires help from core protection circuit to protect the sensitive core circuit. The core protection circuit and the sensitive core circuit are coupled in series between the VDD and VSS voltage supply terminals, with the core protection circuit coupled to the VDD voltage supply terminal. The sensitive core circuit has a VCC voltage supply terminal coupled to receive a VCC supply voltage from the core protection circuit. The core protection circuit is configured to cause the VCC supply voltage to rise slowly with respect to a rising voltage on the VDD voltage supply terminal during power-on of the integrated circuit.

Abstract: A CAM cell including three-transistor (3T) or four-transistor (4T) DRAM cells. Data is stored using intrinsic capacitance of each 3T or 4T DRAM cell, and is applied to the gate terminal of a pull-down transistor. Read operations are performed in the 3T and 4T DRAM cells without disturbing the stored data value by applying the stored data value to the gate terminal of a pull-down transistor and detecting the operating state (i.e., turned on or turned off) of a pull-down transistor, thereby avoiding the charge sharing problems associated with 1T DRAM cells.

Abstract: A level-shifting signal buffer contains a totem pole arrangement of MOS transistors connected to an output thereof and a control circuit that drives the totem pole arrangement of MOS transistors in a preferred manner so that none of the signals across the MOS transistors exceed predetermined limits that may damage the MOS transistors. A preferred signal buffer may include a PMOS pull-up transistor and an NMOS pull-down transistor arranged within a transistor totem pole. This transistor totem pole extends between a first power supply signal line that receives a first power supply signal (e.g., Vddext) and a reference signal line that receives a reference signal (e.g., GND). The PMOS pull-up transistor may be configured to support a maximum gate-to-drain voltage which is less than a difference in voltage between the first power supply signal and the reference signal.

Abstract: In a buffer circuit a pull-up circuit causes an output terminal of the buffer circuit make a transition from a low voltage to a high, and a feedback circuit increases the rate of the transition during the part of the transition when the output terminal moves from the low voltage to a predesignated voltage, the predesignated voltage being a value between but different from the low and high voltages. In another buffer circuit powered by a power supply voltage, a pull-up transistor causes a signal at an output terminal of the buffer circuit make a transition from a low voltage to a high voltage, and a converter circuit converts the power supply voltage to a lower voltage, the lower voltage powering the pull-up transistor.

Abstract: An integrated circuit structure that includes a patterned uppermost conductive layer having a current-carrying trace. The current-carrying trace is connected to an underlying substrate by a multi-layer interconnect structure. The current-carrying trace, which is located around the outer edges of the integrated circuit structure, has at least one edge exhibiting a serpentine pattern. A topside film is located over the patterned uppermost conductive layer, wherein the topside film exhibits an increased thickness adjacent to the serpentine pattern. The increased thickness of the serpentine pattern results in a relatively strong topside film structure near the edges of the substrate. As a result, the portions of the topside film located over inner traces of the uppermost conductive layer are protected from excessive forces during thermal cycling.

Abstract: A bias control circuit for controlling the bias current in a sense amplifier circuit. The bias control circuit maintains a substantially constant bias current when the V.sub.CC supply voltage decreases, thereby maintaining the operating speed of the sense amplifier circuit at a predetermined level. The bias control circuit also increases the bias current as the temperature of the sense amplifier circuit increases, thereby maintaining the operating speed of the sense amplifier circuit at the predetermined level. Furthermore, the bias circuit controls the logic low voltage provided by the sense amplifier circuit to be less than a predetermined threshold value, even as the V.sub.CC supply voltage increases.

Abstract: A compensation circuit which accounts for variations in both temperature and V.sub.CC supply voltage on an integrated circuit. The compensation circuit includes four quasi-independent compensation current sources, each of which generates a corresponding compensation current. The first compensation current source generates a first compensation current which has a positive slope with respect to temperature. The second compensation current source generates a second compensation current which has a negative slope with respect to temperature. The third compensation current source generates a third compensation current which has a negative slope with respect to the V.sub.CC supply voltage. The fourth compensation current source generates a fourth compensation current which has a positive slope with respect to the V.sub.CC supply voltage. The first, second, third and fourth compensation currents are summed to create a total compensation current.

Abstract: An input buffer insensitive to changes in supply voltage, temperature and other operational parameters comprises a decoupling capacitor and receives a reference voltage. In one embodiment, the input buffer comprises a CMOS invertor in which a PMOS transistor is provided to decouple the output signal from a fluctuation of the ground voltage ("ground bounce"). In one embodiment, a band gap type voltage regulator provides the reference voltage of the input buffer.

Abstract: In a sense amplifier, collectors of a first pair of transistors are connected to and drive the bases of a pair of output transistors, and the bases of the first pair of transistors and the emitters of the pair of output transistors are coupled to input nodes of the sense amplifier. The speed of the sense amplifier is enhanced over the prior art because changes in currents (or voltages) on the input nodes change both the emitter and base voltages of the pair of output transistors.

Abstract: An input buffer insensitive to changes in supply voltage, temperature and other operational parameters comprises a decoupling capacitor and receives a reference voltage. In one embodiment, the input buffer comprises a CMOS invertor in which a PMOS transistor is provided to decouple the output signal from a fluctuation of the ground voltage ("ground bounce"). In one embodiment, a band gap type voltage regulator provides the reference voltage of the input buffer.

Abstract: An amplifier used in some embodiments as a sense amplifier for a memory includes a plurality of first sense amplifiers 220.i whose outputs are connected to high capacitance nodes SA, SA which in turn are connected to inputs of second sense amplifier 240. The state of nodes SA, SA is defined by the currents on the two nodes. The voltages on nodes SA, SA, however, are kept substantially constant, which increases the state switching speed and reduces the power consumption. When the amplifier is not in use and the power-down circuitry reconfigures the amplifier to reduce the power consumption, the second amplifier 240 places its output OUT2 into a valid state in order to prevent oscillations of the output and to reduce power consumption. When the amplifier returns from the power-down mode, the output OUT2 is kept in that state until nodes SA, SA and certain other nodes within the first and second amplifiers settle to proper current and voltage values.