On-chip detection circuit for protection design in display panel against electrical fast transient (EFT) disturbance

A new on-chip detection circuit is proposed for electrical fast transient (EFT) protection design in a display system. For microelectronic products, electrical transient disturbances often cause upset or frozen states under the IEC test standard. The output signal of the proposed detection circuit can be used as a firmware index to execute system automatic recovery operations and to release the EFT-induced locked states in display panels. The circuit function to detect positive or negative electrical transients has been investigated in HSPICE simulation and verified in silicon chip. The experimental results have confirmed successful circuit performance under EFT tests. With hardware/firmware co-design, the immunity of a display system against electrical transient disturbance has been significantly improved.