Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Yoshifumi Yaoi

Hiroshi Iwata

Akihide Shibata

Masaru Nawaki

Yoshinao Morikawa

Yasuaki Iwase

Yoshiji Ohta

Kenji Komiya

Masaru Nomura

Takeshi Shiomi

Kei Tokui

Kohichiroh Adachi

Akira Takahashi

Kohtaroh Kataoka

Tetsu Negishi

Kenichi Tanaka

Yuichi Sato

Kenji Kimoto

Masatomi Harada

Hiroshi Igarashi

In order to offer a power supply circuit that can minimize the drop in efficiency by reducing losses during voltage conversion, in an improved-power factor circuit, a control circuit performs a step-up operation in which a control signal for turning on a first switching element (Tr) and switching a second switching element (Tr) is output, and a step-down operation in which a control signal for turning off the second switching element (Tr) and switching the first switching element (Tr) is output.

Illumination apparatus and power supply circuit

A light emitting device which includes at least one of a laser light source (), wiring (), a lens for excitation (), a luminous body (), a laser cut filter (), a half parabolic mirror (P), and a base (), in which a part of the wiring () is installed at a portion in which a breakage easily occurs due to at least one deformation of the laser light source (), the lens for excitation (), the luminous body (), the laser cut filter (), the half parabolic mirror (P), and the base (), or a change in an installation position thereof.

Light emitting device, lighting system, headlight, and vehicle

A light-emitting element includes a first conductivity type semiconductor base, a plurality of first conductivity type protrusion-shaped semiconductors formed on the semiconductor base, and a second conductivity type semiconductor layer that covers the protrusion-shaped semiconductors.

Light emitting element and production method for same, production method for light-emitting device, illumination device, backlight, display device, and diode

This method for disposing fine objects, in a substrate preparing step, prepares a substrate having specified positions where fine objects () are to be disposed in an area where a first electrode () and a second electrode () face each other, and in a fluid introducing step, a fluid () is introduced on the substrate (). The fluid () contains a plurality of the fine objects (). The fine objects () are diode elements, each of which has, as an alignment structure, a front side layer () composed of a dielectric material, and a rear side layer () composed of a semiconductor. In the fine object disposing step, by applying an AC voltage to between the first electrode () and the second electrode (), the fine objects () are disposed by dielectrophoresis with the front side layer () facing up at the predetermined positions in the area (A) where the first electrode () and the second electrode () face each other.

Method for disposing fine objects, apparatus for arranging fine objects, illuminating apparatus and display apparatus

A push-pull circuit comprising: a push-pull first switching element and second switching element; a first rectifier element; a third switching element for switching a pathway between conductance and cutoff, the pathway leading from a connection point between the first switching element and an inductive load via the first rectifier element to a connection point between a DC power source and a center tap of the inductive load; a second rectifier element; and a fourth switching element for switching a pathway between conductance and cutoff, the pathway leading from a connection point between the second switching element and the inductive load via the second rectifier element to a connection point between the DC power source and the center tap of the inductive load.

Push-pull circuit, DC/DC converter, solar charging system, and movable body

This DC/DC converter includes a first DC/DC converter, and a second DC/DC converter for carrying out a DC/DC conversion of voltage supplied from the first DC/DC converter. One of either the first DC/DC converter or the second DC/DC converter is a fixed-factor DC/DC converter, and the other of either the first DC/DC converter or the second DC/DC converter is a variable-factor DC/DC converter.

DC-DC converter, solar charging system, and movable body

A photovoltaic apparatus according to the present invention includes a photovoltaic module and a tracking control device. The photovoltaic module includes a plurality of series portions coupled in parallel. The series portion includes a plurality of photovoltaic elements coupled in series. The photovoltaic elements coupled in a same straight row of the plurality of series portions are coupled parallel to one another. The tracking control device is configured to perform a maximum power point tracking control on an output of the photovoltaic module. The photovoltaic module includes a temperature sensor that detects a real panel temperature that is a panel temperature when the photovoltaic module is operating.

Photovoltaic apparatus, maximum power point tracking control method and computer program in the same, and moving body including the same

A semiconductor memory device includes a page buffer circuit and an arrangement of memory elements each including: a gate electrode provided on a semiconductor layer with an intervening gate insulating film; a channel region provided beneath the gate electrode; a diffusion area provided on both sides of the channel region, having an opposite polarity to the channel region; and a memory functioning member provided on both sides of the gate electrodes, having a function of storing electric charge. The page buffer circuit provides a common resource shared between a memory array controller and a user. The page buffer circuit has two planes containing random access memory arrays. The page buffer circuit also includes a mode control section to facilitate access to the planes over a main bus in user mode and access to the planes by the memory array controller in memory control mode.

Semiconductor memory device, page buffer resource assigning method and circuit therefor, computer system and mobile electronic device

A memory cell array employs a memory element as a memory cell. The memory element is constructed of a gate electrode formed via a gate insulation film on a semiconductor layer, a channel region arranged under the gate electrode, diffusion regions that are arranged on both sides of the channel region and have a conductive type opposite to that of the channel region, and memory function bodies that are arranged on both sides of the gate electrode and have a function to retain electric charges. When first and second power voltages VCCand VCCsupplied from the outside are lower than a prescribed voltage, a rewrite command to a memory circuitthat includes the memory cell array is inhibited by a lockout circuit. With this arrangement, there are provided a semiconductor storage device capable of achieving storage retainment of two bits or more per memory element and stable operation even if the device is miniaturized and preventing the occurrence of a malfunction of rewrite error and so on attributed to a reduction in the power voltage supplied from the outside and a control method therefor.

Semiconductor memory device, method for controlling the same, and mobile electronic device

There is provided a semiconductor storage device and portable electronic equipment including a nonvolatile memory element that can easily be miniaturized. The semiconductor storage device includes a memory cell arrayin which a plurality of memory elementsare arranged and a write state machine. The memory elementincludes a gate electrodeformed on a semiconductor layervia a gate insulator, a channel region arranged below the gate electrode, diffusion regionsthat are located on both sides of the channel region and have a conductive type opposite to that of the channel region and memory function bodiesthat are located on both sides of the gate electrodeand have a function to retain electric charge. The write state machinecan selectively prevent program and erase of data in the memory elements within a predetermined range.

Semiconductor storage device, method for protecting predetermined memory element and portable electronic equipment

When an input voltage determining circuitdetermines that an input voltage exceeds a prescribed voltage, a control circuitof a positive polarity power selector circuitturns on a first switch SWand turns off second and third switches SWand SW, thereby supplying the input voltage to a memory cell arrayvia the first switch SW. When the input voltage determining circuitdetermines that the input voltage is not higher than the prescribed voltage, the control circuitturns off the first switch SWand turns on the second and third switches SWand SW, thereby supplying a voltage from a charge pumpvia the second and third switches SWand SW. By this operation, the memory element is able to retain storage of two bits or more even if miniaturized, to execute stable operation with a small circuit area and to prevent circuit malfunction attributed to a small current supplied to the memory cell array.

Semiconductor storage device and mobile electronic device

A semiconductor memory device includes: a memory cell having a gate electrode formed on a semiconductor layer via a gate insulating film, a channel region disposed below the gate electrode, a diffusion region disposed on both sides of the channel region and having a conductive type opposite to that of the channel region, and memory functional units formed on both sides of the gate electrode and having a function of retaining charges; and an amplifier, the memory cell and the amplifier being connected to each other so that an output of the memory cell is inputted to the amplifier.

Semiconductor memory device, display device, and portable electronic apparatus

A programming verification method of verifying programming of a nonvolatile memory cell, the method comprising at least the steps of: selecting first, second, . . . and n-th references corresponding to first, second, . . . and n-th threshold voltages specifying lower limit values of states, . . . and n, respectively; applying a programming voltage to the nonvolatile memory cell; sensing a threshold voltage level of the nonvolatile memory cell; comparing the sensed threshold voltage level with the first reference to output a first result; comparing the threshold voltage level with one of the second and third references selected according to the first result to output a second result; and comparing the first and second results with an expectation value and, in the case where the first and second results are equal to the expectation value, indicating that the programming has succeeded, wherein the nonvolatile memory cell includes a gate electrode formed on a semiconductor layer via a gate insulating film, a channel region disposed under the gate electrode, a source and a drain as diffusion regions disposed on both sides of the channel region and having a conductive type opposite to that of the channel region, and memory functional units formed on both sides of the gate electrode and having the function of retaining charges.

Programming verification method of nonvolatile memory cell, semiconductor memory device, and portable electronic apparatus having the semiconductor memory device

Characteristic fluctuation of a reference cell due to read disturb is prevented. A memory celland a reference cellrespectively have memory function bodies that are formed on both sides of a gate electrode and have a function to retain electric charge or polarization. The memory cellcan store independent information pieces in memory function bodiesandlocated on both sides of the gate electrode and the independent information pieces are read therefrom. On the other hand, in the reference cell, only the information piece stored in a memory function bodylocated on one side of the gate electrode is referred to in a sense amplifier

Semiconductor storage device and electronic equipment

A semiconductor storage device includes a plurality of memory elements and a redundancy circuit. Each of the memory elements includes a gate electrode provided on a semiconductor layer, a gate insulating film intervening between the gate electrode and the semiconductor layer, a channel region provided under the gate electrode, diffusion regions respectively provided at both sides of the channel region, the diffusion regions having a conductivity type which is opposite a conductivity type of the channel region, and memory functioning members respectively provided at both sides of the gate electrode, the memory functioning members having a function of holding charge. The redundancy circuit addresses a single chip memory including cells associated with a plurality of redundant lines and includes a decoder for selecting a redundant row. The semiconductor storage device can permanently inactivate further programming of the redundancy circuit in order to prevent a user from performing inadvertent programming.

Growing community of inventors

Yamatokoriyama, Japan

Yoshifumi Yaoi