Generic Electrostatic Discharges Protection Solutions for RF and Millimeter-Wave Applications

The vertical shrinkage of the advanced CMOS processes thicknesses makes electrostatic discharge (ESD) issues become more significant. RF and millimeter-wave (mm-wave) circuits are very sensitive to the ESD components' capacitive parasitic effect. Surface area is a key factor as well in an ESD protection circuit for mm-wave applications. This paper presents silicon-verified ESD solutions, which fulfill physical dimensions, ESD robustness, and broadband frequencies requirements.