With the focus of lowering the operation levels, the problem of malfunction caused by the environment is

critical. Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a major cause of failure in electronic system.

Transient Voltage Suppressors are an ideal choice for ESD protection and have proven capable in

suppressing ESD events. They are capable of clamping the incoming transient to a low enough level such

that damage to the protected semiconductor is prevented.

Surface mount TVS arrays offer the best choice for minimal lead inductance.

They serve as parallel protection elements, connected between the signal line to ground. As the transient

rises above the operating voltage of the device, the TVS array becomes a low impedance path diverting the

transient current to ground.

1. ESD protection by the ESDA6V1W5

Circuit board layout is a critical design step in the suppression of ESD induced transients. The following

guidelines are recommended :

The ESDA6V1W5 should be placed as near as possible to the input terminals or connectors.

Minimise the path length between the ESD suppressor and the protected device

Minimise all conductive loops, including power and ground loops

The ESD transient return path to ground should be kept as short as possible.

Use ground planes whenever possible.

2. Circuit Board Layout

The ESDA6V1W5 array is the ideal product for use as board level protection of ESD sensitive

semiconductor components.

The tiny SOT323-5L package makes the ESDA6V1W5 device some of the smallest ESD protection

devices available. It also allows design flexibility in the design of "crowded" boards where the space saving

is at a premium. This enables to shorten the routing and can contribute to improved ESD performance.

Keyboard

terminal

printer

etc

I / O

FUNCTIONAL

DECODER

A

B

C

D

ESDA6V1W5

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