Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Kenji Numata

Tomoaki Yabe

Shinji Miyano

Tohru Furuyama

Syuso Fujii

Masaki Ogihara

Katsuhiko Sato

Natsuki Kushiyama

Ryo Haga

Masaharu Wada

Mitsuru Shimizu

Fujio Masuoka

Koji Sakui

Yukihito Oowaki

Shigeyoshi Watanabe

Makoto Takahashi

Tsuneaki Fuse

Toshiyuki Kouchi

Masako Ohta

A semiconductor integrated circuit including a region of a memory macro function block is divided into memory core function block and interface function block regions. The interface function block includes a test circuit, a command decoder for a test, an address decoder for the test, a memory core input/output circuit which inputs a command and address into the memory core function block and transmits!receives data with the memory core function block, a configuration memory block in which information of a memory capacity of the memory core function block and configuration of a memory core is stored, and a configuration memory block which controls a data path and address path of the memory core function block based on the stored information.

Semiconductor integrated circuit

Here is disclosed a dynamic semiconductor memory of high integration density, which has parallel word lines and parallel bit lines formed on a substrate. The bit lines include a pair of bit lines. A memory cell is coupled to a word line and to one bit line of the bit-line pair. The memory cell is composed of MOSFETs of a submicron size. A sense amplifier section is connected to the pair of bit lines, and senses and amplifies the potential difference between the pair of bit lines in a data readout mode. The amplifier section has a BIMOS structure, having MOSFETs and bipolar transistors. It has a driver section comprised of bipolar transistors.

Dynamic random access memory device

A semiconductor memory comprises a dynamic type memory cell array arranged to form a matrix and provided with word lines commonly connected to memory cells of respective columns and bit lines commonly connected to memory cells of respective rows, a dummy cell section having a first set of dummy word lines connected to respective complimentary bit line pairs of said memory cell array by way of respective first capacitances and a second set of dummy word lines connected to respective complementary bit line pairs of said memory cell array by way of respective second capacitances, a dummy word line potential control circuit capable of optionally controlling the mode of driving selected dummy word lines when said word lines of said memory cell array are activated and sense amplifiers connected to the respective complementary bit line pairs of said memory cell array for reading data from selected memory cells of the memory cell array onto the related bit line.

Semiconductor memory and screening test method thereof

A semiconductor integrated circuit device is described. The semiconductor device includes a switching signal generator having an output terminal which outputs a switching signal to change refresh modes. The semiconductor device also includes a first address buffer having an output terminal which outputs a first address signal, a second address buffer having an output terminal which outputs a second signal, a decoder having a first input terminal which receives the first address signal and having a second input terminal, a sense amplifier controller having an input terminal, and a switch having a first input terminal which receives the switching signal, a second input terminal which receives the second address signal, a first output terminal which outputs the second address signal to the second input terminal of the decoder and a second output terminal which outputs the second address signal to the input terminal of the sense amplifier controller, the switch being controlled by the switching signal.

Semiconductor memory device allowing change of refresh mode and address

A semiconductor integrated circuit device capable of changing the product specification. The semiconductor integrated circuit device includes an integrated circuit section containing a first circuit section having a first function and a second circuit section having a second function, and an active signal generator means for producing an active signal for activating the first circuit section or the second circuit section. To change the product specification, the integrated circuit device further includes a receiving for taking in a decision signal for determining the product specification a, switching signal generator, connected to the receiving device, for producing a switching signal for changing the product specification based on the decision signal, and switching device which receives the active signal and the switching signal, and which, based on the switching signal, changes the supply of the active signal to either the first circuit section or to the second circuit section.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device allowing change of product

A semiconductor memory device includes a cell array having a plurality of memory cells grouped into a plurality of cell blocks and arranged in a matrix form, a plurality of word lines, a plurality of bit lines, bit line sense amplifiers (S/A), a cell block selection circuit,a plurality of data I/O lines, row decoders, a plurality of column selection signal lines, column decoders and a data buffer circuit. The data buffer circuit includes a first precharge circuit, connected to the data I/O lines, for precharging the data I/O lines to the same potential as a precharge potential of the bit lines, a second precharge circuit, connected to the data I/O lines, for precharging the data I/O lines to a potential different from the precharge potential of the bit lines, and selective drive circuit for generating control signals to be supplied to the first and second precharge circuit, and selectively driving the first and second precharge circuits to sense the data read out to the data I/O lines on the basis of the control signals.

Semiconductor memory device having cell array divided into a plurality

According to this invention, a well region is formed on a semiconductor substrate. An n.sup.+ -type first semiconductor region is formed in the well region, and an input pad for receiving an external signal is connected near the first semiconductor region. This input pad is connected to an input circuit of an integrated circuit constituted by an inverter circuit and to an external terminal for receiving an external signal. N.sup.+ -type second semiconductor regions are formed in the well region located on both sides of the first semiconductor region. A ground potential Vss is applied to these second semiconductor regions. A p.sup.+ -type third semiconductor region is formed around these second semiconductor regions in the well region. The ground potential is applied to the third semiconductor region. Therefore, a parallel circuit formed by a parasitic transistor and a parasitic diode is formed between the input pad and the ground potential. The parasitic transistor is turned on upon electrostatic discharge, and the parasitic diode is turned on when a negative potential for test is applied to the input pad, thereby preventing an erroneous operation of a transistor arranged on the semiconductor substrate.

Semiconductor device having input protection circuit

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array having a plurality of memory cells arranged in rows and columns, a plurality of pairs of bit lines to each of which the plurality of memory cells arranged in the column direction are connected, a plurality of latch type amplifiers each of which is provided between the bit lines of a corresponding one of the bit line pairs to amplify a potential difference between the bit lines, a plurality of activation circuits for respectively activating the plurality of latch type amplifiers, a data bus acting as passages of input data, a plurality of latch type storage circuits each of which is provided on a corresponding one of the columns and connected to the data bus, for temporarily storing the input data, a plurality of transfer gates for transferring the input data from the latch type storage circuits to the latch type amplifiers, and a transfer control circuit for controlling the transfer gates to simultaneously transfer the input data from the latch type storage circuits to the latch type amplifiers for each of the rows, wherein the memory cell array is divided into a plurality of sub-arrays including a preset number of columns and the activation circuits are provided for the respective sub-arrays.

Semiconductor memory device

A semiconductor memory device includes a cell array having a plurality of memory cells grouped into a plurality of cell blocks and arranged in a matrix form, a plurality of word lines, a plurality of bit lines, bit line sense amplifiers (S/A), a cell block selection circuit, a plurality of data I/O lines, row decoders, a plurality of column selection signal lines, column decoders and a data buffer circuit. The data buffer circuit includes a first precharge circuit, connected to the data I/O lines, for precharging the data I/O lines to the same potential as a precharge potential of the bit lines, a second precharge circuit, connected to the data I/O lines, for precharging the data I/O lines to a potential different from the precharge potential of the bit lines, and selective drive circuit for generating control signals to be supplied to the first and second precharge circuit, and selectively driving the first and second precharge circuits to sense the data read out to the data I/O lines on the basis of the control signals.

A semiconductor memory device includes a buffer for outputting an address signal and a decoding circuit having an input for receiving the address signal. A switch electrically connects the buffer to the input of the decoding circuit if a refresh mode specifying signal specifies a first data refresh mode, and electrically disconnects the buffer from the input of the decoding circuit if the refresh mode specifying signal specifies a second data refresh mode different from the first data refresh mode. An activating/deactivating circuit activates the input of the decoding circuit if the refresh mode specifying signal specifies the first data refresh mode and deactivates the input of the decoding circuit if the refresh mode specifying signal specifies the second data refresh mode.

A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array, row decoder, bit line pairs, sense amplifier, sense amplifier control circuit, data latch, transfer gate, transfer gate control circuit, and write circuit. The memory cell array has dynamic memory cells arranged in an array form. The row decoder decodes a row address signal to select a desired one of rows of the memory cell array. Each of the bit line pairs is connected to those of the memory cells which are arranged on a corresponding one of columns of the memory cell array. The sense amplifier amplifies data read out on the paired bit lines and positively feeding data back to the paired bit lines to hold the data. The sense amplifier control circuit controls the operation of the sense amplifier. The data latch latches readout data and write data. The transfer gate transfers data between the data latch and the sense amplifier. The transfer gate control circuit controls the transfer gate. The write circuit writes data into the data latch in synchronism with a clock signal. At the time of writing data into the memory cells, data is previously supplied to the data latch by the write circuit and latched in the data latch, and after the transfer gate control circuit controls the transfer gate to supply data to the bit line pairs from the data latch, the sense amplifier control circuit activates the sense amplifier.

Clock synchronous type DRAM with latch

A semiconductor device of a memory-macro type can be designed within a short time to have a desired storage capacity, which does not occupy a large area, so as to reduce the chip cost. The semiconductor device includes a memory macro having sub-memory macros, each sub-memory macro having a DRAM memory-cell array, and a row decoder and a column decoder for selecting any desired memory-cell from the memory cell of the array. The memory macro also includes a control-section macro having a DC potential generating circuit for generating various DC potentials required to drive the sub-memory macros. At least one of the sub-memory macros is combined with the control-section macro to form the memory macro as a one-chip memory capable of storing an integral multiple of N bits.

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Yamato, Japan

Kenji Numata