Other

Renesas Technology Corp.

Hitachi Ulsi Systems Co., Ltd.

Takeo Kon

Yuki Matsuda

Minoru Kato

Kenya Otani

Yukio Kawashima

Hirotaka Mizuno

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.

Semiconductor device and IC card including supply voltage wiring lines formed in different areas and having different shapes

The invention facilitates to meet both of the mode of use that finds precedence in frequent rewrite to the nonvolatile memory and data retention during the power supply being cut off, and the mode of use that finds precedence in the data retention characteristic. The controller enables an information storage operation to the nonvolatile memory cells, by means of erase and write processing through boosting of the voltage applied to the nonvolatile memory cells and clamping of the boosted voltage, and performs a selection control that selects the application interval of the boosted voltage applied during the information storage operation and so forth. This selection control enables utilizing the nonvolatile memory cells as temporary rewrite areas, and facilitates to meet both of the mode of use that finds precedence in data retention during the power supply being cut off, and the mode of use that finds precedence in the data retention characteristic.

Nonvolatile memory, IC card and data processing system

Growing community of inventors

Kodaira, Japan

Takeo Kon