A plug-and-play wideband RF circuit ESD protection methodology: T-diodes

A novel “plug-and-play” ESD protection methodology for wideband RF applications is demonstrated. This methodology, referred to as T-diodes, utilizes an integrated transformer together with classical ESD protection diodes. The T-diodes act as an artificial transmission line that, when placed as a “plug-and-play” ESD protection component in front of an unprotected wideband LNA, preserves the input matching of that LNA. As a demonstrator, a wideband RF LNA in 0.18 μm CMOS is protected above 4.5 kV HBM ESD robustness without degrading its bandwidth.