Abstract: A switching circuit includes a transistor having a base, collector, and emitter terminals, a load device connected to the collector terminal and a supply voltage, and circuitry connected to the base terminal for conducting a turn-off current out of the base terminal. The transistor has an emitter bonding pad which extends from the edge of the emitter region over the collector. A region of the same conductivity type as the base region of the transistor and spaced from the base region is disposed in the collector region and contacts the emitter bonding pad. Charge is drawn out of the base region of the transistor at a rate sufficient to reverse bias the entire emitter-base junction before the collector attains the minimum secondary breakdown voltage level of the transistor.