Back-to-back zener diodes fabricated in a proprietary silicon avalanche technology protect each I/O pin to provide a high level of protection for electronic equipment that may experience destructive electrostatic discharges (ESD). These robust diodes can safely absorb repetitive ESD strikes at the maximum level specified in the IEC 61000-4-2 international standard (Level 4, ±8kV contact discharge) without performance degradation. Their very low loading capacitance also makes them ideal for protecting highspeed signal pins.