Renesas Technology Corp.

Hitachi Ulsi Systems Co., Ltd.

Hirotaka Mizuno

Yukio Kawashima

Takeo Kon

Yoshio Masumura

Wiring lines for the supply of a voltage to feed a drive voltage to an integrated circuit formed in a semiconductor chip are disposed so as to cover a main surface of the semiconductor chip, so that, if the wiring lines are removed for the purpose of analyzing information stored in the semiconductor chip, the integrated circuit does not operate and it is impossible to analyze the information. Further, there is provided a processing detector circuit for detecting that the wiring lines have been tampered with. When the processing detector circuit detects a change in the state of the wiring lines, the integrated circuit is reset. Thus, it is possible to improve the security of information stored on the card.

Semiconductor device including an arrangement for detection of tampering

Wiring lines for the supply of a voltage to feed a drive voltage to an integrated circuit formed in a semiconductor chip are disposed so as to cover a main surface of the semiconductor chip, so that, if the wiring lines are removed for the purpose of analyzing information stored in the semiconductor chip, the integrated circuit does not operates and it is impossible to analyze the information. Further, there is provided a processing detector circuit for detecting that the wiring lines have been tampered with. When the processing detector circuit detects a change in the sate of the wiring lines, the integrated circuit is reset. Thus, it is possible to improve the security of information stored on the card.

Growing community of inventors

Kodaira, Japan

Hirotaka Mizuno