Renesas Technology Corp.

Renesas Electronics Corporation

Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Device Engineering Co., Ltd.

Other

Hitachi Video Engineering, Incorporated

Renesas Northern Japan Semiconductor, Inc.

Takayasu Ito

Mitsuru Hiraki

Koichi Ashiga

Masashi Horiguchi

Tadashi Kameyama

Hideo Nishijima

Isao Fukushima

Kenichi Fukui

Naoya Arisaka

Koji Sato

Seiichi Saito

Yasunori Kobori

Satoshi Baba

Toyohiro Shimogawa

Hitoaki Owashi

Yuichi Okuda

Osamu Ozawa

Takashi Furuhata

Kaneyuki Okamoto

Takanobu Naruse

Masakazu Hamaguchi

Isao Nakamura

Shuji Toyoshima

Tsunehiko Teshima

Yoshio Fujimori

Osamu Ozama

A temperature sensor in a semiconductor device includes a temperature detection circuit for outputting a voltage according to the chip temperature, a reference voltage generating circuit for generating a plurality of reference voltages, and a plurality of voltage comparators for comparing each reference voltage with an output voltage of the temperature detection circuit and thereby generating a chip temperature detection signal configured with multiple bits. Further, the temperature sensor includes a control circuit for controlling the reference voltages generated by the reference voltage generating circuit based on the chip temperature detection signal and thereby changing correspondence between the chip temperature detection signal and the chip temperature to shift a chip temperature detection range. It is possible to expand the chip temperature detection range by changing the correspondence between the chip temperature detection signal and the chip temperature, without increasing the number of voltage comparators.

Semiconductor device and temperature sensor system

A semiconductor device with improved temperature detection accuracy includes a coefficient calculation circuitry which calculates a plurality of N-th order coefficients, where N is an integer equal to or greater than one, of a correction function as an N-th order approximation of a characteristic function which relates temperature data measured by the temperature sensor and the actual temperature. The coefficient calculation circuitry uses N+1 pieces of the temperature data including a theoretical value at absolute zero in the characteristic function and N measured values of the temperature data measured by the temperature sensor unit at N points of temperature. A corrected temperatures are output using the correction function with the calculated coefficients and measured temperature values.

Semiconductor device and data generation method

The present invention provides a semiconductor device including a first terminal and a second terminal respectively coupled to both ends of a crystal resonator, an inverter circuit having an input coupled to the first terminal and an output coupled to the second terminal, a feedback resistor which couples between the first terminal and the second terminal, a variable capacitor coupled to at least one of the first and second terminals, and a control circuit. The control circuit performs control to increase both of the drive capability of the inverter circuit and the capacitance value of the variable capacitor in a second mode rather than a first mode.

Semiconductor device and control method thereof

An integrated circuit formed on a semiconductor chip includes voltage regulators for stepping down an externally-supplied power voltage to produce an internal power voltage, and internal circuits which operate based on the internal power voltage. The voltage regulators are laid in the area of the buffers and protective elements for the input/output signals and power voltages so that the overhead area due to the on-chip provision of the voltage regulators is minimized. The internal power voltage is distributed to the internal circuits through a looped main power line, with an electrode pad for connecting an external capacitor for stabilizing the internal power voltage being provided on it, so that the internal power voltage is stabilized and the power consumption of the integrated circuit is minimized.

Semiconductor integrated circuit

A semiconductor device which includes a power switch connecting an internal power supply in which power is not shut down and an internal power supply in which power is shut down, and an internal voltage determining circuit for determining the voltage of the internal power supply in which power is shut down. When the power of the internal power supply is interrupted, the power switch is turned off, the regulator circuit is turned off, and an output of the regulator circuit is shorted to a ground potential. When the power of the internal power supply is resumed, the regulator circuit is turned on, shorting is cancelled, the increased voltage of the internal power supply is determined by the internal voltage determining circuit, operation of a circuit block is started, and the switch is turned on.

Semiconductor device

A semiconductor integrated circuit device which substantially reduces drop in a supply voltage generated by a regulator and ensures stable supply of a supply voltage with high efficiency and high accuracy. In the device, a memory power supply includes a plurality of transistors and an error amplifier. In the transistors, source pads and drain pads are alternately arranged in a row along one edge of a semiconductor chip in a peripheral area of the chip. Transistor gates are formed in parallel with the alternately arranged source pads and drain pads (so that the longitudinal direction of the gates is parallel to the direction of the arrangement of the source pads and drain pads). Consequently, the length of wirings coupled to drains and sources is shortened and the sheet resistance is decreased.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device

The semiconductor integrated circuit is provided, in which an external temperature control or temperature monitoring is possible, with little influence by the noise of a system board which mounts the semiconductor integrated circuit. The semiconductor integrated circuit includes the temperature detection circuit which detects the chip temperature, and the functional module which flows a large operating current. An external terminal which supplies operating voltage, and an external terminal which supplies ground voltage are coupled to the functional module. The temperature detection circuit generates a temperature detection signal and a reference signal. The reference signal and the temperature detection signal are led out to the exterior of the semiconductor integrated circuit via a first external output terminal and a second external output terminal, respectively, and are supplied to an external temperature control/monitoring circuit which has a circuitry type of a differential amplifier circuit.

Semiconductor integrated circuit and operation method for the same

For an internal circuit having a first operation mode consuming a first operational current and a second operation mode consuming a second operational current, which is smaller than the first operational current, a first power source regulator for stepping down a predefined output power supply voltage from an input power supply voltage and having a current supply ability corresponding to the first operational current of the internal circuit and a second power source gulator having a current supply ability corresponding to the second operational current are combined in order to, under the control of a power supply control unit, operate the first step-down type regulator in response to a first control signal instructing the first operation mode in the internal circuit and to operate the second step-down type regulator in response to a second control signal instructing the second operation mode. In this case, the internal circuit and power supply control unit are provided in one semiconductor integrated circuit device so that reduced power consumption and power supply switching in accordance with the operation mode can be achieved.

Semiconductor integrated circuit with selectable power supply according to different operation modes

In order to set with a high precision the value of rush current flowing in the power switch circuit at the time of turning 'on' the power, the internal circuit Int_Cir of the LSI is supplied with the internal source voltage Vint from the output transistor MPof the regulator VReg of the power switch circuit PSWC. The power switch circuit PSWC includes a control circuit CNTRLR and a start-up circuit STC. During the initial period Tint following the turning 'on' of the power supply, the start-up circuit STC controls the output transistor MPand reduces the primary rush current so that the output current Isup of the output transistor MPmay represent an approximately constant increment as the time passes. The difference &#x394;V between the internal current voltage due to the charge of load capacitance C with the output current Isup controlled by the start-up circuit STC and the current voltage Vint from the regulator VReg is set within the predetermined limit to reduce the secondary rush current.

Growing community of inventors

Higashimurayama, Japan

Takayasu Ito