Consumer Electronics: Custom ESD and I/O IP

Consumer electronics bring together advanced functionality in compact, cost-sensitive devices. Smartphones, TVs, set-top boxes, tablets, smart speakers, and wearables all integrate complex SoCs that manage power, display, communication, sensing, and user interaction.

Each function comes with specific I/O and ESD protection challenges. These chips must perform reliably while meeting tight constraints on cost, power, design time, and manufacturability.

Sofics provides tailored ESD and specialty I/O IP that helps fabless companies meet aggressive consumer market demands — across wired/wireless interfaces, touchscreens, display drivers, and sensor connectivity.

Consumer Electronics: Custom ESD and I/O IP

Custom Requirements in Consumer IC Design

Consumer SoCs demand flexible, optimized ESD solutions for different functions integrated on a single chip:

Low-capacitance I/O for high-speed communication
Interfaces like HDMI, USB, DisplayPort, and MIPI need protection without degrading signal integrity.
Advanced CMOS and FinFET compatibility
To reduce cost per function, consumer SoCs are built on the most advanced nodes. These processes require ESD clamps that protect fragile core devices.
Low-leakage protection for power-sensitive systems
Power management and always-on modes require ESD solutions with minimal leakage in standby and sleep states.
Support for diverse voltage levels
Interfaces for sensors, batteries, and analog peripherals often operate beyond the standard I/O voltage range, requiring both high-voltage and ultra-low-voltage protection.
Reduced design cost and faster time-to-market
A reliable ESD solution accelerates tape-out, avoids costly redesigns, and reduces the risk of late-stage failures.

Sofics IP for Consumer Electronics

Key Focus Areas

High-speed interfaces
SerDes, USB, HDMI, MIPI — ESD clamps with low capacitance, no signal path resistors
Low power consumption
Leakage currents up to 100x lower than conventional IP. Improves standby and sleep current in power-managed designs.
Cost reduction
Sofics IP helps reduce design and manufacturing costs, lowers risk, and speeds up market readiness.
Voltage-flexible protection
Proven IP for both 5V+ high-voltage domains and sub-1V low-voltage signaling, including thin-oxide protection.
Scalable ESD robustness
Support for 2kV, 4kV, 8kV HBM and up to 8kV IEC 61000-4-2 for interfaces requiring enhanced robustness.

Process technology covered

Mature CMOS (0.5um to 180nm)
Mainstream CMOS (130nm to 65nm)
Advanced CMOS (40nm to 22nm)
FinFET technology
SOI technology
BiCMOS technology

Foundries covered

TSMC
Samsung Foundry
UMC
GlobalFoundries
SMIC
Tower Semiconductor
Silterra

Consumer IC Products Using Sofics IP

Our IP is deployed in high-volume products from global consumer brands and fabless innovators. Use cases include:

Wired and wireless communication
ESD IP for Bluetooth, WiFi, HDMI, USB, MIPI
Display control
OLED/LED drivers, timing controllers, pixel interfaces
Power management
Protection for PMIC interfaces and voltage regulators
Touch and sensor input
IP for capacitive touch, haptics, battery monitors, sensor bridges

Testimonial: Nvidia – Icera

Icera 410 LTE multimode data modem
TSMC 40nm and 28nm
Overvoltage tolerance

Pete Hughes, Vice President, Mobile

“A solution that works at high voltages and provides good protection. This enables us to handle off-chip interfaces of up to 3.6 volts, even for non-standard multimedia interfaces”

Testimonial: RedMere Technology

Ultra low power interconnect solutions
Active cable: signal processing technology for HDMI

Peter Smyth, CEO of RedMere Technology

“Sofics IP enabled RedMere to quickly and economically increase our IC ESD performance to a new HDMI industry standard of 8kV HBM without compromising the stringent operation requirements of a 3.4Gbps data channel,”

These are examples from many IP delivery projects. If you did not find the example you were looking for you should contact us (info@sofics.com) to discuss your application and requirements.