阅读说明：本技术 一种基于D-pHEMT器件的射频开关的ESD保护电路 (ESD protection circuit of radio frequency switch based on D-pHEMT device ) 是由 郑新年 于 2018-06-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：本申请公开了一种基于D-pHEMT器件的射频开关的ESD保护电路。所述射频开关为单刀N掷开关,N为自然数,具有一个公共端口和N个分支端口。每个分支端口和公共端口之间级联有一个或多个D-pHEMT器件构成串联通路。每个分支端口和地之间级联有一个或多个D-pHEMT器件以及隔直电容构成对地通路。隔直电容的一端接地,另一端为X节点。所述ESD保护电路是连接到X节点的二极管组。所述二极管组包括并联的一条二极管正向级联支路和一条二极管反向级联支路。二极管正向级联支路是由多个级联的二极管正向连接到地；二极管反向级联支路仅由一个二极管反向连接到地。本申请可大幅减少ESD保护电路中的器件,还可避免ESD保护电路中的器件寄生参数对射频开关的性能产生不利影响。(The application discloses an ESD protection circuit of a radio frequency switch based on a D-pHEMT device. The radio frequency switch is a single-pole N-throw switch, N is a natural number and is provided with a public port and N branch ports. One or more D-pHEMT devices are cascaded between each branch port and the common port to form a serial path. One or more D-pHEMT devices and a blocking capacitor are cascaded between each branch port and the ground to form a path to the ground. One end of the blocking capacitor is grounded, and the other end of the blocking capacitor is an X node. The ESD protection circuit is a diode bank connected to the X node. The diode group comprises a diode forward cascade branch and a diode reverse cascade branch which are connected in parallel. The diode forward cascade branch is formed by connecting a plurality of cascaded diodes in a forward direction to the ground; the diode reverse cascade branch is reversely connected to the ground by only one diode. The device and the method can greatly reduce devices in the ESD protection circuit and can also avoid the adverse effect of device parasitic parameters in the ESD protection circuit on the performance of the radio frequency switch.)

1. An ESD protection circuit of a radio frequency switch based on a D-pHEMT device is characterized in that the radio frequency switch based on the D-pHEMT device is a single-pole N-throw switch, N is a natural number and is provided with a common port and N branch ports; one or more D-pHEMT devices are cascaded between each branch port and the public port to form a serial path; one or more D-pHEMT devices and a blocking capacitor are cascaded between each branch port and the ground to form a ground path; one end of the blocking capacitor is grounded, and the other end of the blocking capacitor is an X node; the ESD protection circuit is a diode group connected to an X node; the diode group comprises a diode forward cascade branch and a diode reverse cascade branch which are connected in parallel; the diode forward cascade branch is formed by connecting a plurality of cascaded diodes in a forward direction to the ground; the diode reverse cascade branch is reversely connected to the ground by only one diode.

2. The ESD protection circuit for rf switch based on D-pHEMT device of claim 1, wherein the diode group is connected in parallel with the dc blocking capacitor and shares a ground point.

3. The ESD protection circuit for rf switch based on D-pHEMT device of claim 1, wherein the number of diodes in the forward cascade branch of diodes is determined by the dc voltage of the X node.

4. The ESD protection circuit for rf switches based on D-pHEMT devices of claim 1, wherein each D-pHEMT device in the series path is connected to a control voltage one through a resistor; each D-pHEMT device in the ground path is connected to a second control voltage through a resistor; the first control voltage and the second control voltage are opposite in level state.

5. The ESD protection circuit for RF switch based on D-pHEMT device of claim 4, wherein when the control voltage I is high and the control voltage II is low, the RF switch based on D-pHEMT device is in the first working state; at the moment, each D-pHEMT device in the series connection path is conducted, and the whole series connection path is conducted; each D-pHEMT device in the path to ground is turned off and the entire path to ground is turned off.

6. The ESD protection circuit for rf switch based on D-pHEMT device of claim 5, wherein in the first operation state of the rf switch, when an ESD event occurs at the common port or the branch port, an ESD high voltage is applied to the ground path; at the moment, each D-pHEMT device in the ground path is turned off, but ESD voltage breaks down in the turned-off D-pHEMT device, and ESD current is discharged through a channel of the D-pHEMT device; then, the ESD high voltage is applied to the X node and is discharged through the ESD protection circuit.

7. The ESD protection circuit for RF switch based on D-pHEMT device of claim 4, wherein when the control voltage I is low and the control voltage II is high, the RF switch based on D-pHEMT device is in the second working state; at the moment, each D-pHEMT device in the series connection path is turned off, and the whole series connection path is turned off; each D-pHEMT device in the path to ground is turned on and the entire path to ground is turned on.

8. The ESD protection circuit for rf switch based on D-pHEMT device of claim 7, wherein in the second operation state of the rf switch, when an ESD event occurs at the common port, an ESD high voltage is applied to the series path; at the moment, each D-pHEMT device in the series path is turned off, but ESD voltage breaks down in the turned-off D-pHEMT device, and ESD current is discharged through a channel of the D-pHEMT device; then, the ESD high voltage is applied to the X node and is discharged through the ESD protection circuit;

when an ESD event occurs at the branch port, an ESD high voltage is applied to the X node and is discharged through the ESD protection circuit.

9. The ESD protection circuit of the RF switch based on D-pHEMT device as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the control voltage one and the control voltage two are both zero, the RF switch based on D-pHEMT device is in the non-operating state; at the moment, each D-pHEMT device in the series connection path is conducted, and the whole series connection path is conducted; each D-pHEMT device in the path to ground is on, and the portion of the path to ground from the branch port to the X node is on, but the dc blocking capacitance causes the X node to be off to ground.

10. The ESD protection circuit for rf switch based on D-pHEMT device according to claim 9, wherein when ESD event occurs at the common port or the branch port in the non-operating state of the rf switch, ESD high voltage is applied to the X node and is discharged through the ESD protection circuit.

Technical Field

The application relates to an ESD (electrostatic Discharge) protection circuit applied to a radio frequency switch chip manufactured by a D-pHEMT (depletion type pseudo-matching high electron mobility transistor) device.

Background

At present, the high-performance radio frequency switch is mainly manufactured by a D-pHEMT device. Wherein D represents a depletion-mode, p represents a pseudomorphic (also called pseudomorphic, pseudomorphic), and HEMT represents a high electron mobility transistor (high electron mobility transistor).

Referring to FIG. 1, the basic structure of a D-pHEMT device is shown. The D-pHEMT device includes a gate G, a source S, and a drain D. The gate G is connected through a resistor R to a control voltage Vg, which is the gate bias voltage of the D-pHEMT device. The resistor R plays a role in current limiting, and the performance of the D-pHEMT device cannot be influenced after the resistor R is increased. Without the resistor R, when a voltage is applied to the gate G of the D-pHEMT device, a large current is generated in the gate G, which is not practical. The source S and drain D are generally symmetrical and may be interchanged. A schottky diode is formed between the gate G and the source S. Another schottky diode is formed between the gate G and the drain D. The turn-on voltage (threshold voltage) Vth of a D-pHEMT device is generally negative, typically-1V. When the grid-source voltage is larger than Vth, the D-pHEMT device is conducted; whereas the D-pHEMT device is turned off. Therefore, when the gate G, the source S, and the drain D of the D-pHEMT device are not given voltages, i.e., all the node potentials are zero, the D-pHEMT device is still turned on. At this time, the drain D and the source S of the D-pHEMT device are conductive, and present a very low impedance. The D-pHEMT device is turned off only when the control voltage (gate bias voltage) Vg of the D-pHEMT device is lower than the potentials of the drain D and the source S by an absolute value exceeding Vth.

For example, assuming that the threshold voltage Vth of the D-pHEMT device is-1V and the potentials of the drain D and the source S of the D-pHEMT device are both 0V, conduction between the drain D and the source S occurs when the gate bias voltage Vg is greater than-1V. Only when the gate bias voltage Vg is less than-1V will the drain D and the source S be turned off.

For another example, assuming that the threshold voltage Vth of the D-pHEMT device is-1V and the drain D and source S of the D-pHEMT device are both 3V, when the gate bias voltage Vg is greater than 2V, conduction occurs between the drain D and source S. Only when the gate bias voltage Vg is less than 2V will the drain D and the source S be turned off.

Referring to fig. 2, the single-pole single-throw rf switch based on D-pHEMT device has two rf ports — branch port P1 and common port Pc. A plurality of D-pHEMT devices T11 to T1m are cascaded between the branch port one P1 and the common port Pc, and the m cascaded D-pHEMT devices constitute a serial (series) path. Each D-pHEMT device in the series path is connected to a control voltage, V1, through a resistor R11-R1 m, respectively. A plurality of D-pHEMT devices T21 to T2n and a dc blocking capacitor C1 are cascaded between the branch port one P1 and ground, and the n cascaded D-pHEMT devices and the dc blocking capacitor C1 form a path to ground (shunt). Each D-pHEMT device in the path to ground is connected to a control voltage of two V2 through a resistor R21-R2 n. The level states of the control voltage one V1 and the control voltage two V2 are opposite. When the first control voltage V1 is high, the second control voltage V2 is low. When the first control voltage V1 is low, the second control voltage V2 is high. The high level is, for example, 3V or 5V dc voltage, and the low level is, for example, 0V dc voltage.

The single-pole single-throw radio frequency switch shown in fig. 2 has two operating states.

The first operating state is that the first control voltage V1 is high level, the second control voltage V2 is low level, then the first branch port P1, the common port Pc and the X node (the connection node between the dc capacitor C1 and the D-pHEMT device T2n in the path to ground) are all between the first control voltage V1 and the second control voltage V2, and the voltage difference between these three positions and the second control voltage V2 is greater than the threshold voltage Vth of the D-pHEMT device. At this time, since the control voltage one V1 is higher than the voltages of the branch port one P1 and the common port Pc, the source S and the drain D of each D-pHEMT device in the series path are both turned on, and the whole series path is turned on, presenting very low impedance. At this time, since the absolute value of the voltage difference (which is a negative value) between the control voltage two V2 and the branch port one P1 is greater than the threshold voltage Vth of the D-pHEMT device, and the absolute value of the voltage difference (which is a negative value) between the control voltage two V2 and the node X is also greater than the threshold voltage Vth of the D-pHEMT device, the source S and the drain D of each D-pHEMT device in the ground path are both turned off, the whole ground path is turned off, and very high impedance is presented.

The second working state is that the control voltage I V1 is low level, the control voltage II V2 is high level, at this time, the series circuit is cut off, and high impedance is presented; the path to ground is conductive and presents a very low impedance. The second operating state is used to bypass the signal leaked from the common port Pc to ground, thereby improving the isolation between the common port Pc and the branch port-P1.

In the non-operating state of the single-pole single-throw rf switch shown in fig. 2, the control voltage i _ V1 and the control voltage ii _ V2 are all zero, and at this time, the potentials of the branch port i _ P1, the common port Pc and the X node are all zero. Due to the characteristics of the D-pHEMT device, the serial path is conducted at this time, and the portion from the branch port-P1 to the X node in the path to ground is also conducted, i.e., the branch port-P1, the common port Pc, and the X node are equivalent. Due to the presence of the dc blocking capacitance C, the X node is off to ground.

The ESD protection circuit of the single-pole single-throw rf switch shown in fig. 2 is provided with a diode group at each of the branch port P1 and the common port Pc. Each diode group comprises a diode forward cascade branch and a diode reverse cascade branch which are in parallel connection. Diode forward cascade branch means that multiple cascaded diodes are connected forward to ground from branch port one P1 or common port Pc. The diode reverse cascade branch means that a plurality of cascaded diodes are reversely connected to a branch port P1 or a common port Pc from the ground. The diode forward cascade branch and the diode reverse cascade branch have the same number of diodes. The minimum number of diodes required by the diode forward cascade branch and the diode reverse cascade branch can be obtained by dividing the maximum voltage swing of a certain radio frequency port in normal operation by the threshold of a single diode.

A single-pole multi-throw rf switch based on D-pHEMT devices can also be implemented on the basis of fig. 2, for example, fig. 3 shows a single-pole double-throw rf switch having three rf ports — branch port one P1, branch port two P2 and common port Pc. The conventional ESD protection circuit needs to have a diode group at each rf port, and the specific structure is the same as that of fig. 2.

Such an existing ESD protection circuit based on the rf switch of the D-pHEMT device has the following disadvantages.

First, because a single diode has a large area, a low threshold voltage, and a high operating voltage swing of the rf port, the ESD protection circuit of the rf port requires a large number of ESD diodes, which occupies a very large area. For example, assuming that the power class of the rf switch is 39dBm, corresponding to a 50 ohm system, the voltage amplitudes of the common port Pc and the branch port P1 are as high as ± 28.12V when operating, and each rf port needs at least 56 diodes according to the diode threshold voltage of 1V, where the diode forward cascade branch and the diode reverse cascade branch are 28 diodes. Considering that ESD protection circuits need to be disposed at each rf port, the chip area occupied by the ESD protection circuits is very considerable.

Secondly, when the radio frequency switch is in normal operation, the diode in the ESD protection circuit is cut off, which is equivalent to a small capacitance to ground. The capacitance to ground versus high frequency signal is equivalent to a path to ground, which may significantly degrade the circuit performance of the radio frequency switch.

Third, when the voltage swing of the rf switch is close to the upper limit criterion, the diode in the ESD protection circuit may be slightly turned on, which may greatly deteriorate the circuit performance of the rf switch, such as the linearity criterion. Increasing the number of diodes in the ESD protection circuit can improve this drawback, but it can increase the on-resistance of the ESD path, reduce the ESD protection performance, and increase the chip area.

Due to the defects, most of the radio frequency switches based on the D-pHEMT devices do not have ESD protection circuits at radio frequency ports, and particularly the high-power and high-performance radio frequency switches based on the D-pHEMT devices. The higher the design power of the radio frequency switch is, the more the number of diodes included in the ESD protection circuit is, and the larger the occupied chip area is.

Disclosure of Invention

The technical problem to be solved by the application is to provide an ESD protection circuit which can play an ESD protection role in a radio frequency switch based on a D-pHEMT device.

In order to solve the technical problem, the application requests to protect an ESD protection circuit of a radio frequency switch based on a D-pHEMT device. The radio frequency switch based on the D-pHEMT device is a single-pole N-throw switch, N is a natural number, and the radio frequency switch is provided with a public port and N branch ports. One or more D-pHEMT devices are cascaded between each branch port and the common port to form a serial path. One or more D-pHEMT devices and a blocking capacitor are cascaded between each branch port and the ground to form a path to the ground. One end of the blocking capacitor is grounded, and the other end of the blocking capacitor is an X node. The ESD protection circuit is a diode bank connected to the X node. The diode group comprises a diode forward cascade branch and a diode reverse cascade branch which are connected in parallel. The diode forward cascade branch is formed by connecting a plurality of cascaded diodes in a forward direction to the ground; the diode reverse cascade branch is reversely connected to the ground by only one diode.

Compared with the ESD protection circuit of the radio frequency switch based on the D-pHEMT device, the ESD protection circuit can greatly reduce the device scale in the ESD protection circuit, and particularly aims at the radio frequency switch circuit with high power and a large number of radio frequency ports. The method and the device can also avoid the adverse effect of device parasitic parameters in the ESD protection circuit on the performance of the radio frequency switch.

Further, the diode group is connected with the blocking capacitor in parallel and shares one grounding point. Therefore, the number of grounding points can be avoided, and the complexity of the radio frequency switch chip is reduced.

Further, the number of diodes in the diode forward cascade branch is determined by the dc voltage of the X node. This includes two meanings. First, the X node is grounded through a dc blocking capacitor, which is equivalent to ac ground, so that only the dc voltage of the X node needs to be considered. And dividing the maximum direct current voltage of the X node by the threshold voltage of a single diode to obtain the minimum required number of diodes in the diode forward cascade branch. Where the maximum dc voltage at node X is the high level of the control voltage minus the threshold voltage of the diode, this may be approximately replaced by the high level of the control voltage. Secondly, the dc voltage at the X node is always higher than ground, so that the diode reverse cascade branch only needs one reverse-connected diode, although a plurality of reverse-cascaded diodes may be provided for special purposes. Compared with the existing ESD protection circuit, the ESD protection circuit has the advantages that the number of ESD devices can be greatly reduced, and therefore the occupied chip area is reduced.

Further, each D-pHEMT device in the series path is connected to a first control voltage through a resistor; each D-pHEMT device in the ground path is connected to a second control voltage through a resistor; the first control voltage and the second control voltage are opposite in level state. This is based on the properties of the rf switch of the D-pHEMT device.

Further, when the first control voltage is at a high level and the second control voltage is at a low level, the radio frequency switch based on the D-pHEMT device is in a first working state. At the moment, each D-pHEMT device in the series connection path is conducted, and the whole series connection path is conducted; each D-pHEMT device in the path to ground is turned off and the entire path to ground is turned off. This is based on the properties of the rf switch of the D-pHEMT device.

Further, in the first operation state of the rf switch, when an ESD event occurs at the common port or the branch port, an ESD high voltage is applied to the ground path. At the moment, each D-pHEMT device in the ground path is turned off, but ESD voltage breaks down in the turned-off D-pHEMT device, and ESD current is discharged through a channel of the D-pHEMT device; then, the ESD high voltage is applied to the X node and is discharged through the ESD protection circuit. This shows that the ESD protection circuit of the present application has ESD protection for rf switches based on D-pHEMT devices in the first operating state.

Further, when the first control voltage is low level and the second control voltage is high level, the radio frequency switch based on the D-pHEMT device is in a second working state. At the moment, each D-pHEMT device in the series connection path is turned off, and the whole series connection path is turned off; each D-pHEMT device in the path to ground is turned on and the entire path to ground is turned on. This is based on the properties of the rf switch of the D-pHEMT device.

Further, in a second operating state of the rf switch, when an ESD event occurs at the common port, an ESD high voltage is applied to the series path. At this time, each D-pHEMT device in the series path is turned off, but ESD voltage can break down in the turned-off D-pHEMT device, and ESD current can be discharged through the channel of the D-pHEMT device. Then, the ESD high voltage is applied to the X node and is discharged through the ESD protection circuit. When an ESD event occurs at the branch port, an ESD high voltage is applied to the X node and is discharged through the ESD protection circuit. This shows that the ESD protection circuit of the present application has ESD protection for the rf switch based on D-pHEMT device in the second operating state.

Further, when the first control voltage and the second control voltage are both zero, the radio frequency switch based on the D-pHEMT device is in an idle state. At this time, each D-pHEMT device in the series path is conducted, and the whole series path is conducted. Each D-pHEMT device in the path to ground is on, and the portion of the path to ground from the branch port to the X node is on, but the dc blocking capacitance causes the X node to be off to ground. This is based on the properties of the rf switch of the D-pHEMT device.

Further, when an ESD event occurs at the common port or the branch port in the non-operating state of the rf switch, an ESD high voltage is applied to the X node, and is discharged through the ESD protection circuit. This shows that the ESD protection circuit of the present application has ESD protection function for the RF switch based on D-pHEMT device in the non-operation state.

The ESD protection circuit of the radio frequency switch based on the D-pHEMT device firstly changes the positions and the number of the ESD protection circuits, changes the circuit originally arranged at each radio frequency port into the X node arranged at each ground access, greatly reduces the number of the ESD devices in the local circuit at each position, and can carry out ESD protection on each radio frequency port of the radio frequency switch. And secondly, the ESD protection circuit can not introduce parasitic parameters into the radio frequency switch, and can not bring adverse effects on the performance of the radio frequency switch. And the number of grounding points of the radio frequency switch chip is reduced, and the complexity of chip design is simplified.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the basic structure of a D-pHEMT device.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a conventional single-pole single-throw rf switch (including ESD protection circuitry) based on a D-pHEMT device.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a conventional single-pole double-throw rf switch (including ESD protection circuitry) based on a D-pHEMT device.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a single-pole single-throw rf switch (including ESD protection circuitry) based on a D-pHEMT device according to the present application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a single-pole double-throw rf switch (including an ESD protection circuit) based on a D-pHEMT device according to the present application.

The reference numbers in the figures illustrate: g is a grid; s is a source electrode; d is a drain electrode; vg, V1, V2 … … are control voltages (gate bias voltages); pc is a common port; p1 and P2 … … are branch ports; t is a D-pHEMT device; r is resistance; c is a blocking capacitor.

Detailed Description

Please refer to fig. 4, which shows a single-pole single-throw rf switch based on D-pHEMT device of the present application, which has two rf ports — branch port P1 and common port Pc. One or more D-pHEMT devices T11 to T1m are cascaded between the branch port one P1 and the common port Pc, and the m cascaded D-pHEMT devices constitute a serial path. Each D-pHEMT device in the series path is connected to a control voltage, V1, through a resistor R11-R1 m, respectively. One or more D-pHEMT devices T21-T2 n and a DC blocking capacitor C1 are cascaded between the branch port one P1 and the ground, and the n cascaded D-pHEMT devices and the DC blocking capacitor C1 form a path to the ground. Each D-pHEMT device in the path to ground is connected to a control voltage of two V2 through a resistor R21-R2 n. The level states of the control voltage one V1 and the control voltage two V2 are opposite. When the first control voltage V1 is high, the second control voltage V2 is low. When the first control voltage V1 is low, the second control voltage V2 is high. The high level is, for example, 3V or 5V dc voltage, and the low level is, for example, 0V dc voltage.

The single-pole single-throw radio frequency switch shown in fig. 4 has two working states.

The first operating state is that the first control voltage V1 is high and the second control voltage V2 is low, so that the first branch port P1, the common port Pc and the X node (the connection node between the dc capacitor C1 and the D-pHEMT device T2n in the path to ground) are all between the first control voltage V1 and the second control voltage V2, and the voltage difference between these three locations and the second control voltage V2 is greater than the threshold voltage Vth of the D-pHEMT device, which is determined by the circuit characteristics. At this time, since the control voltage one V1 is higher than the voltages of the branch port one P1 and the common port Pc, the source S and the drain D of each D-pHEMT device in the series path are both turned on, and the whole series path is turned on, presenting very low impedance. At this time, since the absolute value of the voltage difference (which is a negative value) between the control voltage two V2 and the branch port one P1 is greater than the threshold voltage Vth of the D-pHEMT device, and the absolute value of the voltage difference (which is a negative value) between the control voltage two V2 and the node X is also greater than the threshold voltage Vth of the D-pHEMT device, the source S and the drain D of each D-pHEMT device in the ground path are both turned off, the whole ground path is turned off, and very high impedance is presented.

In the second operating state, the control voltage one V1 is low, the control voltage two V2 is high, the potentials of the branch port one P1, the common port Pc and the X node are all between the control voltage one V1 and the control voltage two V2, and the voltage difference between these three positions and the control voltage one V1 is greater than the threshold voltage Vth of the D-pHEMT device, which is determined by the circuit characteristics. At this time, since the control voltage of the second V2 is higher than the voltage of the first branch port P1 and the ground, the source S and the drain D of each D-pHEMT device in the ground path are both turned on, and the whole ground path is turned on, presenting very low impedance. At this time, since the absolute value of the voltage difference (which is a negative value) between the control voltage one V1 and the branch port one P1 is greater than the threshold voltage Vth of the D-pHEMT device, and the absolute value of the voltage difference (which is a negative value) between the control voltage one V1 and the node X is also greater than the threshold voltage Vth of the D-pHEMT device, the source S and the drain D of each D-pHEMT device in the series path are all turned off, the whole series path is turned off, and very high impedance is presented. The second operating state is used to bypass the signal leaked from the common port Pc to ground, thereby improving the isolation between the common port Pc and the branch port-P1.

In the non-operating state of the single-pole single-throw rf switch shown in fig. 4, the control voltage i _ V1 and the control voltage ii _ V2 are all zero, and at this time, the potentials of the branch port i _ P1, the common port Pc and the X node are all zero. Due to the characteristics of the D-pHEMT device, the serial path is conducted at this time, and the portion from the branch port-P1 to the X node in the path to ground is also conducted, i.e., the branch port-P1, the common port Pc, and the X node are equivalent. Due to the presence of the dc blocking capacitance C, the X node is off to ground.

The ESD protection circuit of the single-pole single-throw rf switch shown in fig. 4 is provided with a diode group at the X node, and the diode group is connected in parallel with the dc blocking capacitor C1. The diode group comprises a diode forward cascade branch and a diode reverse cascade branch which are in parallel connection. Diode forward cascade leg means a plurality of cascaded diodes D11-D1 k connected forward from the X node to ground. The diode reverse cascade leg is connected in reverse from ground to the X node by only one diode D2. The number of diodes in the diode forward cascade branch is determined by the dc voltage at node X, i.e. by the maximum dc voltage of the first control voltage V1 and the second control voltage V2. For example, the value ranges of the control voltage one V1 and the control voltage two V2 are 3V or 0V, and if the threshold voltage of the diode is 1V, the forward cascade branch of the diode only needs 3 diodes to be cascaded. If the values of the control voltage one V1 and the control voltage two V2 are in the range of 5V or 0V, the diode forward cascade branch only needs 5 diodes to cascade, assuming that the diode threshold voltage is 1V. Since the dc voltage at the X node is always higher than ground, i.e. no reverse dc voltage is present at the X node, the diode reverse cascade branch needs to be formed by at least one diode D2.

The ESD protection circuit based on the radio frequency switch of the D-pHEMT device can play the role of ESD protection under the following three conditions.

The first situation is that an ESD event occurs during the production and assembly of the rf switch chip, which is the most likely scenario for the ESD event. The radio frequency switch chip in the production and assembly process has no control voltage, the potentials of the common port Pc, the branch port P1 and the X node are equal, and the resistance between the nodes is small. When an ESD event occurs, an ESD high voltage is directly applied to the X node. The ESD protection circuit is arranged on the X node and is connected with the blocking capacitor C1 in parallel, so that ESD current can be discharged through the ESD protection circuit, and the blocking capacitor C1 cannot be damaged. All the radio frequency ports of the radio frequency switch of the whole D-pHEMT device are protected by the ESD protection circuit.

The second condition is that an ESD event occurs in the first operational state of the rf switch. At this time, the control voltage one V1 is high, the control voltage two V2 is low, the serial path is turned on, and thus the common port Pc and the branch port one P1 have the same potential, and the ground path is turned off. When an ESD event occurs at the common port Pc or the branch port-P1, an ESD high voltage is applied to the ground path. At the moment, the source electrode and the drain electrode of each D-pHEMT device in the earth path are all turned off, when the ESD voltage reaches a certain value, generally 10-20V, breakdown occurs between the source electrode and the drain electrode of the turned-off D-pHEMT device, and ESD current is discharged through a channel of the D-pHEMT device. Because the channel area of a D-pHEMT device is relatively large, typically much larger than that of a single diode, a short, high voltage, high current ESD event will not damage the D-pHEMT device. Only a longer duration of breakdown will damage the D-pHEMT device, and ESD events are all transient. When the D-pHEMT device in the path to ground is briefly broken down, an ESD high voltage is applied to the X node. The ESD protection circuit is arranged on the X node and is connected with the blocking capacitor C1 in parallel, so that ESD current can be discharged through the ESD protection circuit, and the blocking capacitor C1 cannot be damaged. All the RF ports of the RF switch of the whole D-pHEMT device are protected by the characteristics of D-pHEMT and the ESD protection circuit.

The third condition is that an ESD event occurs in the second operational state of the rf switch. At this time, the first control voltage V1 is low, the second control voltage V2 is high, the ground path is turned on, so that the first branch port P1 and the X node are at the same potential, and the series path is turned off. When an ESD event occurs at branch port one, P1, the ESD protection principle is the same as the first case. When an ESD event occurs at the common port Pc, an ESD high voltage is applied to the series path. At this time, the source and the drain of each D-pHEMT device in the series path are all turned off, when the ESD voltage reaches a certain value, generally 10-20V, breakdown occurs between the source and the drain of the turned-off D-pHEMT device, and ESD current is discharged through a channel of the D-pHEMT device. Because the channel area of a D-pHEMT device is relatively large, typically much larger than that of a single diode, a short, high voltage, high current ESD event will not damage the D-pHEMT device. Only a longer duration of breakdown will damage the D-pHEMT device, and ESD events are all transient. When the D-pHEMT device in the series path is briefly broken down, an ESD high voltage is applied to the X node. The ESD protection circuit is arranged on the X node and is connected with the blocking capacitor C1 in parallel, so that ESD current can be discharged through the ESD protection circuit, and the blocking capacitor C1 cannot be damaged. All the RF ports of the RF switch of the whole D-pHEMT device are protected by the characteristics of D-pHEMT and the ESD protection circuit.

The analysis shows that the ESD protection circuit can play the ESD protection role in two working states and a non-working state of the radio frequency switch based on the D-pHEMT device.

Compared with the ESD protection circuit of the existing radio frequency switch based on the D-pHEMT device, the ESD protection circuit has the following advantages.

Firstly, the ESD protection circuit greatly reduces the number of diodes and saves the occupied chip area. For example, assuming that the power level of the rf switch is 39dBm, corresponding to a 50 ohm system, the voltage amplitudes of the common port Pc and the branch port P1 are as high as ± 28.12V when the rf switch operates, and the value ranges of the two corresponding control voltages are usually 5V and 0V when the diode threshold voltage is 1V. The dc voltage at node X does not exceed the high level dc voltage of the control voltage, and is typically one diode less than the high level of the control voltage. For ease of analysis, the high level of the control voltage may be used as the approximate maximum dc voltage for the X node. Since the dc blocking capacitor C1 bypasses the ac signal to ground, the X node will not have ac voltage swing when the rf switch is operating normally, so only the dc voltage of the X node needs to be considered. The ESD protection circuit of the present application only needs to forward cascade 5 diodes to form a diode forward cascade branch. Because the X node has no reverse direct current voltage, only one diode needs to be reversely connected to form a diode reverse cascade branch. In summary, the ESD protection circuit of the present application can be implemented with only 6 diodes. Considering that the existing ESD protection circuit needs to be arranged at each radio frequency port of the radio frequency switch, the ESD protection circuit of the application only needs to be arranged at the X node position of each ground access, the number of diodes is further reduced, and the occupied chip area is saved.

Next, the ESD protection circuit of the present application is provided at the X node of the ground path, and the X node corresponds to an ac ground due to the presence of the dc blocking capacitor C1. Therefore, the parasitic parameters of the diode in the ESD protection circuit are bypassed to the ground by the dc blocking capacitor C1, and the rf switch is not adversely affected.

Thirdly, the ESD protection circuit of the present application reduces the number of grounding points. The existing ESD protection circuit is characterized in that a diode group is arranged at each radio frequency port of a radio frequency switch, and different ports have certain distance on a chip, while the ESD protection circuit generally requires nearby grounding, so that the common grounding point of the diode groups is difficult, and a separate grounding point is required to be arranged for each diode group. If the grounding points must be shared for the diode groups, longer, wider connections must be added between the diode groups to withstand larger ESD currents, which may take up more chip area. The ESD protection circuit is directly connected with the blocking capacitor C in parallel, and only needs to be designed beside the blocking capacitor C, so that the grounding point of the blocking capacitor C can be directly multiplexed.

A single-pole multi-throw rf switch based on D-pHEMT devices can also be implemented on the basis of fig. 4, for example, fig. 5 shows a single-pole double-throw rf switch having three rf ports — branch port one P1, branch port two P2 and common port Pc. The ESD protection circuit of the present application has a diode group at each of the nodes X1 and X2 of the ground path, and the specific structure, operation principle, and advantageous effects are the same as those of fig. 4.

The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement and the like made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.