Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Renesas Technology Corp.

Akira Hosogane

Atsushi Ohba

Hiroaki Nakai

Yoshitsugu Dohi

Shinichi Kobayashi

Tomoshi Futatsuya

Nobuyuki Kokubo

Hidemoto Tomita

Motoharu Ishii

Hirotoshi Sato

Takahiro Tsuruda

Tatsuya Saeki

A transistor region for defining a transistor receiving an address signal at a gate thereof is provided in or near a region below an address interconnection line transmitting a corresponding address signal. The corresponding address signal and the gate electrode of the corresponding transistor are connected together by an intermediate interconnection line extending only in the region having the corresponding address interconnection line arranged. Accordingly, a high speed switching of address signals can be achieved.

Semiconductor circuit device with mitigated load on interconnection line

An address signal is transferred from an address bus transmitting an address from an address generation circuit, to a real address bus connecting to a decoder for decoding an applied address signal, via a branch node, a branch address bus and contacts. The real address bus and the branch address bus are electrically connected at a plurality of points using the contacts. The branch address bus functions as a lining or backing signal line to the real address bus, and a line resistance and line capacitance of the real address bus can be equivalently reduced. A variation in signal propagation delay over an entire decoding circuits is suppressed.

Semiconductor circuit device capable of high speed decoding

When a stage increasing signal, which is input into a sub boosting circuit, is at the L level, three boosting stages are used within the sub boosting circuit to boost a supply potential. On the other hand, when the stage increasing signal is at an H level, four boosting stages are used within the sub boosting circuit to boost the supply potential. Thus, by the semiconductor integrated circuit device of the invention, an internal potential can be boosted at a high speed while power consumption can be reduced.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device having boosting circuit

A specific row of memory cells in a flash memory is set to be in a lock mode state, which affects reading of data in other rows of memory cells in a common memory array. Thus, a flash memory having a data concealing function is achieved.

Non-volatile semiconductor memory device

An internal voltage from an internal voltage generating circuit is transmitted to a pad in accordance with a control signal, and a buffer circuit coupled to the pad is set in an inactive state. The pad is connected to an external pin terminal via a bonding wire. Consequently, a semiconductor integrated circuit capable of monitoring and forcedly setting an internal voltage from an outside of the circuit device is realized with a minimum number of pin terminals without increasing the number of external pin terminals.

Semiconductor integrated circuit allowing internal voltage to be measured and controlled externally

In a data register latching a data on a selected memory cell of a memory array, circuitry is provided for repairing a defect when the defect is present in a latch circuit included in the data register. The defect repairing is implemented by reverse current flow prevention for a latch power supply, of a determination transistor into a non-conductive state, determination with a forcibly setting circuit, inversion of a latch data, switching of current detectors. A product yield is improved by repairing the defect even when the defect is present in a latch circuit section in which a data is latched.

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device capable of correctly performing erasure/programming completion determination even in presence of defective bit

A data latch circuit group latches data read by a sense latch circuit group when a read voltage is supplied to a word line. These data are transferred to a read data conversion circuit and converted to 2-bit data. Thus, no operation processing may be performed through a bit line or a transistor in a memory cell array, whereby a read time can be reduced for reducing power consumption.

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device storing multi-bit data

In response to complementary clock signals provided from a driver, a charge pump operates to provide an output voltage which is a down-converted negative voltage. The voltage between this output voltage and a predetermined positive reference voltage is capacitance-divided by capacitors. The capacitance-divided positive voltage is applied to a comparator, whereby a reference voltage is compared with the above positive voltage. An output signal of the comparator is applied to the driver. In response, the driver controls the operation of the charge pump, whereby the output voltage is clamped at a predetermined voltage level for output.

Semiconductor device allowing generation of desired internal voltage at

A bit line reset transistor resets every second bit line of a plurality of bit lines to be write-verified. At this time, a transfer gate disconnects a column latch from the unreset bit line. Then, the unreset bit line is precharged in accordance with data of the column latch, while applying a verify voltage to a word line. Then, a source line transistor grounds a source line, and the bit line is connected to the column latch, so that data corresponding to a value of a threshold voltage of the memory cell is held by the column latch, and a write verifying operation is performed.

Non-volatile semiconductor memory device allowing fast verifying

A level converting circuit has a function of converting an input signal of a first logic level into an output signal of a second logic level. The level converting circuit includes a first transistor responsive to an input signal IN for charging an output node to the ground potential, a second transistor responsive to the input signal IN for lowering the potential of the output node to the negative potential VEE, a third transistor responsive to the potential of the output node for controlling operations of the second transistor, and fourth and fifth transistors responsive to a delay signal with delay to an output of the level converting circuit for controlling the amount of current flowing through the output node. An inverted, amplified signal of the output node is applied to the gate of the fourth transistor, and a non-inverted, amplified signal of the output node is applied to the gate of the fifth transistor. The fourth and the fifth transistors serve to enhance the potential change of the output node by the delay signal (amplified signal). As a result, a level converting circuit carrying out a switching operation at a high speed in response to the input signal IN can be implemented.

Growing community of inventors

Hyogo, Japan

Akira Hosogane