Renesas Technology Corp.

Renesas Electronics Corporation

Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Ulsi Systems Co., Ltd.

Hitachi Microcomputer System, Ltd.

Takashi Kuraishi

Yoshihiko Yasu

Toshio Sasaki

Ryo Mori

Kazumasa Yanagisawa

Osamu Ozawa

Yasuto Igarashi

Koichiro Ishibashi

Yusuke Kanno

Masayuki Miyazaki

Goichi Ono

Yuri Azuma

Takaharu Morishige

Fumiaki Matsuzaki

Toshinobu Shinbo

Kentaro Yamawaki

Yoshihiro Tsuru

A technology that makes it possible to reduce fluctuation in operating voltage for operating the circuits formed in the core region of a semiconductor device is provided. This semiconductor device is so arranged that the core region is divided into multiple functional blocks and power can be supplied and this power supply can be interrupted with respect to each of the divided functional blocks. The core region formed in the semiconductor chip is divided into multiple functional blocks. A power switch row in which multiple power switches are arranged is disposed in the boundaries between the divided functional blocks. These power switches have a function of controlling the supply of reference potential to each of functional blocks and the interruption of this supply. A feature of the invention is that reference pads are disposed directly above the power switch rows. This shortens the wires coupling together the reference pads and the power switches.

Semiconductor device

A semiconductor integrated circuit device enhanced in design efficiency while achieving multi-functionalization and power saving is to be provided. The semiconductor integrated circuit device has first through third circuit blocks, and is placed in a first power supply state in which the operation of internal circuits in the first circuit block is guaranteed in accordance with an instruction from the third circuit block or a second power supply state in which the operation of the internal circuits is not guaranteed. The second circuit block has an input unit which receives signals supplied from the first circuit block, and the input unit of the second circuit block has an input circuit which, in accordance with a control signal sent from said third circuit block to said second circuit block, causes a specific signal level to be maintained in compliance with the operating voltage of the second circuit block irrespective of the signal supplied from the first circuit block when the third circuit block instructs the second power supply state to the first circuit block.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device

A plurality of MOS transistors each having an SOI structure includes, in mixed form, those brought into body floating and whose body voltages are fixed and variably set. When a high-speed operation is expected in a logic circuit in which operating power is relatively a low voltage and a switching operation is principally performed, body floating may be adopted. Body voltage fixing may be adopted in an analog system circuit that essentially dislikes a kink phenomenon of a current-voltage characteristic. Body bias variable control may be adopted in a logic circuit that requires the speedup of operation in an active state and needs low power consumption in a standby state. Providing in mixed form the transistors which are subjected to the body floating and the body voltage fixing and which are variably controlled in body voltage, makes it easier to adopt an accurate body bias according to a circuit function and a circuit configuration in terms of the speedup of operation and the low power consumption.

Semiconductor integrated circuit

The semiconductor integrated circuit has so-called SOI type first MOS transistors (MNtk, MPtk) and second MOS transistors (MNtn, MPtn). The first MOS transistors have a gate isolation film thicker than that the second MOS transistors have. The first and second MOS transistors constitute a power-supply-interruptible circuit () and a power-supply-uninterrupted circuit (). The power-supply-interruptible circuit has the first MOS transistors each constituting a power switch () between a source line (VDD) and a ground line (VSS), and the second MOS transistors connected in series with the power switch. A gate control signal for the first MOS transistors each constituting a power switch is made larger in amplitude than that for the second MOS transistors. This enables power-source cutoff control with a high degree of flexibility commensurate with the device isolation structure, which an SOI type semiconductor integrated circuit has originally.

A body bias control system allows for independent design of a functional module, thereby reducing the burden of designing the module. The body bias control system provides a switch circuit having an area in which the body bias is controlled independently of its outside portion, for controlling the supply of body bias in the vicinity of the area. Preferably three types of switches are provided for switching the body bias to suitable levels for a standby mode, a mode of normal operation and a mode of high-speed operation.

The invention provides a semiconductor integrated circuit device with improved designing efficiency while achieving higher functions. An inner circuit is surrounded by a plurality of cells in which a first switch element for connecting a power supply voltage line or a ground voltage supply line to a power supply line of an internal circuit is disposed below power supply lines extending in a first and second directions, and the power lines are connected together.

A semiconductor gate array device compatible with ECL and/or TTL, wherein the input buffer unit includes a TTL input stage, an ECL input stage and a common output stage, and the output buffer unit includes a common input stage, an ECL output stage and a TTL output stage. When the device is to be used as a TTL input interface, the TTL input stage and the common output stage are coupled together and when the device is to be used as an ECL input interface, the ECL input stage and the common output stage are coupled together. When used as a TTL output interface, the common input stage and the TTL output stage are coupled together and when used as an ECL output interface, the common input stage and the ECL output stage are coupled together. Therefore, the input/output interfaces exhibit general applicability to meet the user's demands, yet enabling the layout areas of the input and output buffer portions to be decreased.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Takashi Kuraishi