OFF-CHIP PROTECTION - SHUNTING OF ESD CURRENT BY METAL FINGERS ON INTEGRATED-CIRCUITS AND PRINTED-CIRCUIT BOARDS

Equalization of electrical potential of integrated circuit (IC) pins and printed circuit boards as a concept to prevent ESD damage is investigated experimentally and theoretically. Long metal traces of little DC resistance for potential equalization are shown to act like an open circuit to fast CDM-type ESD pulses. Effective ESD protection can be achieved by sharing ESD stress with neighboring pins.