The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 07, 1992
Filed:
Aug. 09, 1990
Hiroshi Takamoto, Tokyo, JP;
Makoto Segawa, Yokohama, JP;
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Kawasaki, JP;
Abstract
A semiconductor IC device including a main circuit block and at least one subcircuit block, each having a ground terminal, a supply voltage terminal and an input or output terminal. A first ground line is connected to the ground terminal of the main circuit block and arranged within a wiring domain of the main circuit block and adjacent to the subcircuit blocks. A second ground line is connected to the ground terminal of the subcircuit block and arranged within a wiring domain of the subcircuit block and adjacent to the main circuit block. Protective elements are connected between the first and second ground lines so as to form short circuits through at least one of the first and second ground lines. In the IC device thus configured, all of the input and output terminals resist overvoltage, in every case where any one of the ground terminals and the supply voltage terminals is determined as a reference potential terminal, without complicating the protective element wiring arrangement or increasing the chip area and the cost thereof.