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:
Oct. 08, 2002
Filed:
Jan. 05, 2001
Masatada Horiuchi, Koganei, JP;
Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A semiconductor integrated circuit according to the present invention comprises a MOS transistor formed on an SOI substrate and a subsidiary transistor provided between a body node and a drain node of the MOS transistor and sharing a gate electrode with the MOS transistor, whereby body potential of the MOS transistor is controlled by gate and drain potentials. Accumulated body charge in a non-conducting state in the semiconductor integrated circuit is extracted by a resistor formed between the body node and a source, whereby various phenomena caused by floating body effect are eliminated. Since the body potential of the MOS transistor can be varied without creating an undesirable leakage current path, and hence without limitations to supplied voltage, its threshold voltage can be made variable so as to follow change in an input signal, thereby making it possible to achieve higher speed and lower voltage operation of the semiconductor integrated circuit. According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate floating body effect, which is the greatest problem with an SOI transistor formed on an SOI substrate, and also to achieve lower voltage and greater current operation of a transistor without posing limitations to supplied voltage and without causing the problem of leakage current.