Hitachi, Ltd.

Haruo Koizumi

Hideo Nakamura

Yoshimune Hagiwara

Tadahiko Nishimukai

Noboru Yamaguchi

Kunio Uchiyama

Kouki Noguchi

Tsuneo Funabashi

Hiroyuki Masuda

Tsukasa Sato

Shigehiro Kamejima

Minoru Ishii

A microprocessor chip including a ROM portion for storing a microprogram, an execution unit portion for executing an arithmetic operation and random logic circuits disposed between the ROM portion and the execution unit portion. Two-level metal lines technology is used for supplying power for grounding and for providing input/output interconnect lines for the random logic circuits.

Microprocessor chip using two-level metal lines technology

A method of diagnosis of an integrated logic circuit having function blocks, in which a test signal is supplied to the logic circuit; an input signal to and an output signal from at least one of the function blocks are detected by the use of a contactless probing device such as an electron beam probing device or laser beam probing device; simulation is carried out of a normal logic operation of the function block with the detected input signal to provide a simulated output signal; the detected and simulated output signals are compared with each other; and the function block is determined as being normal or abnormal according to the result of the comparison. When the function block includes plural logic elements, the cause of the abnormality may be traced back to a faulty function element by detecting the output of a function element by a contactless probing device, comparing the detected output with a corresponding simulated output and repeating the detection and comparison on other function elements in the function block until the comparison results in coincidence. The function element which receives the signal providing the coincidence as a result of the comparison is determined as the faulty function element.

Method of diagnosing integrated logic circuit

Herein disclosed is a method of controlling a microprocessor in accordance with the present invention characterized in that, when the microprocessor for executing a microprogram in accordance with clock cycles .PHI..sub.1 and .PHI..sub.2 receives a command (i.e., STOP signal) for stopping a normal operation from the outside, a freezing signal (i.e., FRZ signal) synchronizing with the clock cycles is generated to bring the operation being executed into a stopped state.

Microprocessor capable of stopping its operation at any cycle time

In a pulse frequency multiplying circuit, a first capacitor charged to a given potential is discharged through a first constant-current circuit during a period corresponding to a pulse width of a reference pulse. Then, the terminal voltage of the first capacitor is applied as a reference voltage to one input terminal of a comparator circuit. A triangle wave voltage formed by alternately discharging a pair of second capacitors charged to a given potential, through a second constant-current circuit with a current value n times that in the first constant-current circuit, is applied to the other input terminal of the comparator circuit. The output from the comparator circuit operates a flip-flop circuit. In accordance with the output signal, the charge/discharge operation of said second capacitors is switched, whereby said flip-flop circuit produces a pulse with a frequency n times that of the reference pulse.

Pulse frequency multiplier circuit

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Tokyo, Japan

Haruo Koizumi