As Figure 7-2 shows, all device pins are protected with internal ESD protection diodes to the power supplies. These diodes provide moderate protection to input overdrive voltages above the supplies. The protection diodes can typically support 10-mA continuous input and output currents. The differential input clamps only limit the bias current when the input common-mode voltages are within the supply voltage range, whereas current-limiting series resistors must be added at the inputs if common-mode voltages higher than the supply voltages are possible. Keep these resistor values as low as possible because using high values degrades noise performance and frequency response.

Figure 7-2 Internal ESD Protection