Abstract: A lead frame according this invention is structured such that the width or the length of the inner leads disposed adjacent to the tab suspending leads is made greater than that of other inner leads, whereby wires can be supported completely upon bonding to the leads and, accordingly, the bonding can be carried out surely and the occurrence of short-circuit of the wires can be prevented. Semiconductor devices of high electric reliability can be provided as a result these technics.

Abstract: In a case where an electronic circuit having the same function is to be realized by a different device, it is indispensable to prepare circuit diagrams conforming to devices and to utilize them for the job of circuit simulation or chip layout. When the circuit diagrams are to be automatically translated for the above purpose, translation rules become different depending upon the connective relations of an element to be translated, with other elements in the circuit or upon a function performed by the element. The present invention puts the rules into knowledge from the viewpoint of knowledge engineering and utilizes it thereby to realize the intended purpose.

Abstract: When the access is effected sequentially such as the prefetching of an instruction or the restoration of a register in the stack region, the retrieval is effected simultaneously for the consecutive addresses and the result is stored. When the consecutive addresses are to be accessed, the hit is determined relying upon the result that is stored without effecting the cache memory reference. In the case of mishit, the external memory is readily accessed to shorten the overhead time required for the cache memory reference. Therefore, the access time can be shortened in average.

Abstract: In addition to an ordinary bit field instruction without limitation which makes use of an offset value and a field width, a bit field instruction with limitation which does not calculate the spread of the bit field is separately installed. In the present invention the calculation for determination of the spread of the bit field is not performed when the bit field instruction with limitation is executed. In addition, when executing a bit field instruction with limitation, the offset value and the field width can be obtained directly as immediate values thereby decreasing the execution time of the instruction.

Abstract: A cache memory contained in a processor features a high efficiency in spite of its small capacity.In the cache memory control circuit, it is detected whether the access operation of the processor is directed to a particular region of the memory, and when the data is to be read out from, or is to be written onto, the particular region, the data is copied onto the cache memory and when the data is to be read out from other regions, operation of the memory is executed immediately without waiting for the reference of cache memory.By assigning the particular region for the data that is to be used repeatedly, it is possible to provide a cache memory having good efficiency in spite of its small capacity. A representative example of such data is the data in a stack.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device having a plurality of memory arrays composed of mutually orthogonal row word lines and complementary column data lines, and static memory cells disposed in a lattice arrangement at the intersections of such word lines and complementary data lines; variable impedance load circuits having first P-channel MOSFETs disposed between the complementary data lines and a first supply voltage and kept normally in an on-state, and also having second P-channel MOSFETs connected in parallel with the first P-channel MOSFETs and cut off selectively in accordance with predetermined selection timing signals in a write mode; a plurality of signal generator circuits provided correspondingly to the memory arrays for forming the selection timing signals in accordance with write control signals and array selection signals, and then feeding the timing signals to the corresponding variable impedance load circuits; and a plurality of signal relay circuits provided correspondingly to a predetermined number

Abstract: A method for searching the memory of a data processing apparatus including a decoder for decoding the contents of an instruction and an execution unit for executing the instruction based on an output from the decoder is performed in response to a search instruction which identifies a desired data storage area from a plurality of data storage areas in the memory which includes an array data structure.

Abstract: In an oscillation circuit consisting of an amplification circuit portion composed of transistors of input/output circuit basic cells of a gate array disposed on a semiconductor pellet and an oscillator disposed outside the semiconductor pellet, the amplification circuit portion consists of transistors for an output circuit of the input/output buffer circuit basic cells. The dielectric breakdown characteristics of the amplification circuit portion of the oscillation circuit can be improved because the structure of the transistor for the output circuit is more highly resistant to dielectric breakdown than the structure of the transistor for the input circuit.

Abstract: In a voltage converter which is disposed in a semiconductor integrated circuit so as to lower an external supply voltage and to feed the lowered voltage to a partial circuit of the integrated circuit, the voltage converter is constructed so as to produce an output voltage suited to an ordinary operation in the ordinary operation state of the semiconductor integrated circuit and an aging voltage in the aging test of the circuit.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pipeline data processing apparatus wherein an instruction is fetched from a main storage, the instruction is decoded to generate control information for executing the instruction, and the control information is transferred to an instruction execute circuit. The target address of a branch instruction is stored in the index field of an associative memory, and control information obtained by decoding a target instruction of branch corresponding to the branch instruction is stored in the data field of the associative memory beforehand. When executing the branch instruction, the associative memory is accessed with the target address, and the control information of the corresponding entry is read out and is transferred to the instruction execute circuit, whereupon the instruction execute circuit starts executing the target instruction of branch instruction in succeession to the execution of the branch instruction.

Abstract: A plurality of external input information are added to a selecting circuit. The output of the selecting circuit is fed back as one of the external input information to the selecting circuit. The input signal groups are decoded, and are produced as control signals to specify the external input information in synchronism with clock signals. When the input select signal groups have the non-selection mode, the output that is fed back is necessarily selected.

Abstract: In a semiconductor integrated circuit device, such as a ROM having an instruction program set therein, in which an order for selecting word lines is variously different depending upon written information; a method of manufacture which can shorten a production process after the determination of the instruction program or the circuit arrangement of a decoder without adding to a manufacturing step is disclosed.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device is provided with polycrystalline silicon filling U-grooves etched in a semiconductor substrate to form isolation regions which prevent any short-circuiting between the polycrystalline silicon and electrodes or wiring formed on the semiconductor substrate. A silicon dioxide film is formed within the U-grooves, and a silicon nitride film and a silicon dioxide film are further formed thereon. The silicon nitride film has a high hardness which suppresses the development of crystal defects in the peripheral active regions due to the expansion of the surface of the polycrystalline silicon when it is oxidized. When the surface of the polycrystalline silicon is oxidized, the oxidation proceeds along the oxide film over the nitride film, so that the whole of the oxide film is formed thickly. Therefore, the silicon nitride film and the silicon dioxide film are provided with an increased margin against the etching used for forming contact holes.

Abstract: Disclosed are memory cells of a vertical-type read only memory (ROM) having a plurality of MISFETs connected in series. The MISFETs include gate electrodes formed with multiple conductive layers, in which some of the MISFETs are set to the depletion type and at least some of the remaining MISFETs are set to the enhancement type, so as to write information in the memory cells. The information write operation is conducted through at least two steps. Namely, in the first information write step, gate electrodes are used as a mask to implant an impurity; and in the second step, an impurity is implanted through the gate electrodes into the surface of the semiconductor substrate. These steps enable a semiconductor memory device, such as a vertical-type mask ROM having memory cells with a reduced series resistance and being suitable for a high degree of integration, to be produced.

Abstract: In a one-chip microcomputer, an EPROM is formed together with a ROM and RAM on one semiconductor substrate. Data such as fixed data necessary in the microcomputer can be changed by the use of the EPROM. In case data are to be written in the EPROM, an EPROM writer is used. This EPROM writer outputs write data to the EPROM and checks (or verifies) the data written in the EPROM immediately thereafter. If any error is detected, the subsequent data write is interrupted. In order to inhibit the unnecessary operation interruption in case the address designated by the EPROM writer comes out of the range of the EPROM, the checking (or verifying) data signal to be fed from the one-chip microcomputer to the EPROM writer is forcibly set at a level which indicates satisfactory operation of the EPROM.

Abstract: In order to improve the throughput of an a-point to multi-points information system having a master station for transmitting an a-point to multi-points frame and a plurality of slave stations for receiving the a-point to multi-points frame and to insure reliability of received information, the master station comprises a unit for detecting that the number of slave stations which are in abnormal receiving of an a-point to multi-points frame from the master station exceeds a predetermined value, and retransmits the a-point to multi-points frame received abnormally during the detection.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory includes a word line driving circuit whose output terminal is coupled to one end of each word line of a memory array, and also an auxiliary driving circuit which drives the other end of the word line upon receiving a selection signal transmitted to the other end of this word line. The auxiliary driving circuit comprises a level detector circuit which is dynamically driven by a timing signal, and a driving element which is driven by an output of the level detector circuit to drive the other end of the word line. When the word line is to be reset, the output of the level detector circuit is set at a level which brings the driving element into an "off" state. The auxiliary driving circuit of this arrangement permits the other end of the word line to change to a selection level quickly and to be reset quickly.

Abstract: When a microprocessor fetches an instruction to be processed by a coprocessor, it sends to the coprocessor a command corresponding to the instruction while informing the coprocessor that the bus cycle is in the mode of transfer of the instruction to the coprocessor. In transferring an operand from the memory to the coprocessor, the microprocessor asserts, in addition to a usual memory read signal, a signal (CYCYCL) indicative of validity of the coprocessor and instructs the coprocessor to fetch data to thereby complete the operand transfer from memory to coprocessor within one bus cycle. In transferring data from the coprocessor to the memory, the microprocessor asserts, in addition to a usual memory write signal, the CYCYCL signal and instructs the coprocessor to deliver the data to thereby complete the data transfer from memory to coprocessor within one bus cycle.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a semiconductor integrated circuit device which includes a unit cell for forming such an input/output circuit portion as is made capable of selecting any of a plurality of different input and output functions by changing a wiring pattern. The semiconductor integrated circuit is constructed such that there are formed in a manner to correspond to the unit cell a plurality of bonding pad regions which can be separated from one another so that any of the plural input and output functions can be arbitrarily selected through those bonding pad regions.

Abstract: In a logic simulation method for performing logic simulation of a logic circuit including a circuit with unknown internal logic, the circuit itself with the unknown internal logic is used. The internal status of the circuit is set at an objective status using the interrupt operation afforded by the circuit and thereafter, input signal value is applied to the circuit to obtain a resultant output. For other logic circuits without unknown internal logic, software logic simulation is performed. During such software logic simulation, the actual circuit with unknown internal logic is called.