Texas Instruments - IT Dept. | What is a Transient Voltage Suppressor (TVS) Diode?

During this presentation, I will provide a brief overview of TVS diodes and why you need them to protect integrated circuits.
Transient Voltage Suppressor diodes, which are commonly referred to as TVS diodes, are components that protect sensitive
circuitry from being damaged due to high voltage transients. The primary source of high voltage transients are electrostatic

discharge, electrical fast transient, and surge events.

When selecting a TVS diode to protect an external interface like USB, there are a couple of key parameters you want to pay special

attention to. The first parameter to look at is the reverse stand-off voltage. The reverse stand-off voltage is the operating voltage

you do not want the data or power line to exceed. For example, if your data signal range is from 0 to 5 volts, you want to TVS diode
with a reverse stand-off voltage of at least 5 volts, to ensure proper data transmission.

The second parameter to consider is breakdown voltage. The breakdown voltage defines the voltage limit at which the TVS diode

will begin conducting significant current to ground and provide transient protection. Typically, you want the breakdown voltage to

be slightly higher than the reverse stand-off voltage, so the transient protection begins as soon as possible.

The third parameter you will want to look at is the clamping voltage. The clamping voltage is the lower voltage your system will

see during a high voltage transient. The last key parameter to consider is the amount of capacitance the TVS diode will add to the

data lines. For high speed interfaces, you will need to select TVS diodes with lower capacitance, to ensure proper data

transmission. You can use the table on the right as a guide

We have discussed what a TVS diode is and how to pick one out. But how does it respond during a transient like ESD? Imagine an

8,000 volt ESD strike being applied to the data lines of a protected USB 2.0 port. The high voltage transient will quickly exceed the

breakdown voltage of the TVS diode and activate it. The TVS diode will then begin to conduct current to ground and away from the
USB 2.0 transceiver, reducing the voltage that will be presented to the more sensitive USB 2.0 transceiver. When the ESD event is

complete and the voltage at the USB 2.0 connector returns to below the breakdown voltage, the TVS diode will stop conducting

current, and normal data transmission will resume.

When you look at the data sheets for semiconductor devices, you will often see Human Body Model, HBM, and Charge Device

Model, CDM, ESD ratings. The HBM rating provides an indication of the chip's resilience to ESD damage from human handling,

while the CDM rating is related to the chip's ability to resist ESD damage during automated manufacturing. A 2,000 volt CDM ESD

test with a standard pulse of one nanosecond will generate a 2 to 5 amp current that the semiconductor device will need to

survive. A 2,000 volt HBM ESD test with a standard pulse of 150 nanoseconds will generate about 1.3 amps of current that the

semiconductor device will need to survive.

The advantage of using external TVS diodes is that they typically provide level four IEC ESD protection. During an 8,000 volt level

4 IEC ESD contact test, there will be a 1 nanosecond pulse followed by a 50 nanosecond pulse. Furthermore, the current the TVS
diode will handle during the IEC test will greatly exceed the currents produced during the CDM or HBM testing. This makes robust

TVS diode solutions with IED level protection the best method for protecting your system from damage due to high voltage

transients.

Varistors and Zeners are sometimes used to provide ESD protection. However, the graph to the left shows that these devices have

higher clamping voltages and take longer to dissipate ESD energy. The area under the curve is the undesired ESD energy. And TVS

diodes handle it the most efficiently.

Here is some additional information to learn about TI's TVS-based ESD protection solutions. Stay tuned for additional trainings on

protection related topics. Thank you, for your time.