Product category:
Circuit Protection Devices
News Release from: California Micro Devices | Subject: XtremeESD
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 08 January 2008
ESD protection devices handle new
challenges
The Picoguard XP architecture is an innovative double-clamping architecture that integrates multiple stages of ESD protection into a single device.
California Micro Devices has released XtremeESD, protection devices developed with a radically new architecture designed to meet today's most challenging ESD requirements The first XtremeESD product, the CM1231-02SO, uses CMD's Picoguard XP architecture
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 7 Sep 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Integrated passive devices protect HDMI
MediaGuard CM2030 and CM2031 devices support the latest advanced HDMI 1.3 capabilities including higher speeds, as well as CEC enhancements and extended length cable support.
Small flash LED driver for mobile handsets
California Micro Devices has unveiled a new family of PhotonIC white LED drivers capable of supporting a wide range of high current flash LEDs in today's most advanced handsets.
The Picoguard XP architecture is a double-clamping architecture that integrates multiple stages of ESD protection into a single device.
This architecture provides robust protection for sensitive high-speed ICs by significantly reducing the clamping voltage and the amount of residual current that passes through to the protected ASIC, achieving significantly better performance than the best ESD diode arrays on the market.
As silicon manufacturing geometries shrink, integrated circuits are becoming increasingly susceptible to ESD damage.
Further reading
Regulator saves power for DDR memory
Dual output linear regulator powers DDR memory in digital consumer and PC peripheral applications such as digital TVs, set top boxes, DVD players and game consoles.
Range cuts the cost of inductor-capacitor filters
LC filters allow mobile handset designers to address many higher bandwidth data interfaces that cannot be served by lower cost resistor-capacitor based devices.
Traditional ESD protection architectures including single-stage, dual-rail clamp diode arrays are no longer adequate to protect the latest system ICs.
The voltage and residual current levels that pass through them will cause gate oxide failures and junction burnout for system ICs designed in the latest silicon processes.
CMD has developed the XtremeESD family of devices, including the new PicoGuard XP, to address these new requirements.
"The critical factor in improving ESD protection is reducing the residual current and clamping voltage seen by the system IC during an ESD strike", stated Joe Salvador, Director of Marketing for Digital Consumer and Computing Products at California Micro Devices.
"CMD's newly developed PicoGuard XP architecture significantly reduces both the residual current and the clamping voltage, while simultaneously preserving the signal integrity of high-speed data".
"It is a suitable solution for protecting sensitive USB, HDMI and DisplayPort data interfaces".
The PicoGuard XP architecture uses a dual-stage design that places two ESD devices and a resistor in series within the same package.
The first ESD circuit absorbs the largest portion of the strike, while the second provides additional clamping and a secondary shunt path to steer current away from the system IC being protected.
The CM1231 provides dramatic improvements compared to the best protection devices currently available including: a 40% reduction in peak clamping voltage; a 40% reduction in peak residual current; and a greater than 65% reduction in total power reaching the ASIC.
A new website provides relevant information about ESD protection to designers of personal computer and digital consumer electronics applications who want to design more reliable systems by understanding the real issues involved in ESD protection and learn about new ESD architectures such as PicoGuard XP.
The site contains technical white papers, product specifications, articles and presentations on various ESD protection topics.
• California Micro Devices: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
