Wemida Emmanuel’s Post

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Obafemi Awolowo University, Computer Science and Engineering .

Pipeloluwa Olayiwola #day33 CONCEPT OF LATCH UP Latchup is a failure mechanism in integrated circuits (ICs), particularly in CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) technology, where a parasitic structure is inadvertently created that causes a short circuit, leading to high current flow and potentially permanent damage. It occurs when a low-impedance path is created between the power supply rails (Vcc and GND), usually due to the triggering of parasitic bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) within the CMOS structure. How Latchup Happens 1. Parasitic Structure: - CMOS circuits inherently have parasitic PNPN structures (similar to a thyristor) due to the p-type and n-type wells in the substrate. These structures form two BJTs: an NPN and a PNP transistor. 2. Triggering: - A latchup can be triggered by various factors, such as: - Over-voltage at input/output pins - Electrostatic discharge (ESD) - High current injection - Sudden changes in voltage or current (e.g., power supply transients) 3. Regenerative Feedback Loop: - When triggered, the parasitic NPN and PNP transistors enter a regenerative feedback loop. The current gain of each transistor amplifies the current of the other, causing a significant increase in current flow between the power supply rails.

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