CMOS Input and output protection circuit

Claim 1

A protective circuit for a CMOS integrated circuit having an input terminal, a first power supply terminal which is adapted to be connected to a source of first power supply potential, and a second power supply terminal which is adapted to be connected to a source of second power supply potential, said protective circuit comprising: (a) a body of semiconductor material of a first conductivity type forming a substrate; (b) a first diode having an anode coupled to the circuit input terminal and a cathode coupled to the first power supply terminal, said first diode comprising: (1) a first region extending into said substrate, said first region being of a second conductivity type opposite to said first conductivity type; and (2) a second region extending into said first region, said second region being of the first conductivity type, but having a higher degree of conductivity than said substrate; (c) a second diode having a cathode coupled to the circuit input terminal and an anode coupled to the second power supply terminal, said second diode comprising: (1) a third region extending into said substrate, said third region being of the second conductivity type; and (2) a fourth region extending into said third region, said fourth region being of the first conductivity type, but having a higher degree of conductivity than said substrate; (d) a first transistor coupled to the first diode and to the first power supply terminal, said first transistor being biased into conduction upon the application of a potential to the circuit input terminal which is sufficient to forward bias the first diode, the biasing of the first transistor into conduction and the forward biasing of the first diode causing current to flow from the circuit input terminal, said first transistor comprising: (1) an emitter region which includes said first region; (2) a base region which includes said substrate; and (3) a collector region which includes a fifth region of the second conductivity type extending into the substrate, said fifth region having a ring-like configuration which surrounds said first region; and (e) a second transistor coupled to the second diode and to the second power supply terminal, said second transistor being biased into conduction upon the application of a potential to the circuit input terminal which is sufficient to forward bias the second diode, the biasing of the second transistor into conduction and the foward biasing of the second diode causing current to flow from the seond power supply terminal, through the second diode and through the second transistor to the circuit input terminal, said second transistor comprising: (1) an emitter region which includes said fourth region; (2) a base region which includes said third region; and (3) a collector region which includes said substrate and a sixth region of the first conductivity type extending into said substrate to provide an ohmic contact thereto, said sixth region having a higher degree of conductivity than said substrate and having a ring-like configuration which surrounds said third region.