Diode network used as ESD protection in RF applications

RF circuits in CMOS ask for adequate ESD protections without deteriorating the RF performance. Standard ESD protections are hindered by parasitic capacitance, area requirements and quality factor. This paper presents N+/Pwell and P+/Nwell STI-bounded diodes with a satisfactory ESD performance, tunable with diode area, and an excellent RF performance.

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