US Patent 8072722 Electrostatic discharge protection circuit

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can affect the operation of and even damage an unprotected integrated circuit. Conventional ESD protection circuits may not be able to protect the integrated circuit if the voltage at the output of the integrated circuit swings with large amplitude. In some embodiments, an ESD protection circuit comprising switching circuitry that provides a low AC impedance path to ground can prevent improper triggering of the ESD protection circuit during normal operation of the integrated circuit, while ensuring that the ESD protection circuit device reliability is not compromised.