Abstract: As a means for promoting the increase of the number of pins in a QFN (Quad Non-leaded package), a semiconductor die mounted on a die pad is arranged at the center of a plastic package, and a plurality of leads made of the same metal as the die pad and die pad supports are arranged around the die pad so as to surround the die pad. Lead tips on one side near the semiconductor die are electrically connected to bonding pads on a main surface of the semiconductor die via gold wires, and lead tips on the other side are ended at a side surface of the plastic package. In order to reduce the length between the semiconductor die and the leads, the lead tips on the one side are extended to positions close to the die pad, and the intervals between adjoining leads on the one side are smaller than those on the other side.

Abstract: A semiconductor device having an electrically erasable and programmable nonvolatile memory, for example, a rewritable nonvolatile memory including memory cells arranged in rows and columns and disposed to facilitate both flash erasure as well as selective erasure of individual units of plural memory cells. The semiconductor device which functions as a microcomputer chip also has a processing unit and includes an input terminal for receiving an operation mode signal for switching the microcomputer between a first operation mode in which the flash memory is rewritten under control of a processing unit and a second operation mode in which the flash memory is rewritten under control of separate writing circuit externally connectable to the microcomputer.

Abstract: With a high-speed nonvolatile phase change memory, reliability in respect of the number of refresh times is enhanced. In a memory cell forming area of a phase change memory using a MISFET as a transistor for selection of memory cells, a phase change material layer of a memory cell comprising a resistor element, using a phase change material, is formed for common use. As a result, variation in shape and a change in composition of the phase change material, caused by isolation of memory cell elements by etching, are reduced, thereby enhancing reliability of memory cells, in respect of the number of refresh times.

Abstract: Salient electrodes on a semiconductor chip and leads on a film substrate are to be connected together with a high accuracy. A change in lead pitch which occurs at the time of connecting salient electrodes on a semiconductor chip and inner leads on a film substrate with each other is taken into account and a correction is made beforehand to the pitch of the inner leads. Likewise, a change in lead pitch which occurs at the time of connecting electrodes on a liquid crystal substrate and outer leads on the film substrate with each other is taken into account and a correction is made beforehand to the pitch of the outer leads.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a multi media card comprises the steps of: providing a substrate, mounting a first flash memory chip and a controller chip for controlling the flash memory chip over a front surface of the substrate, molding the first flash memory chip and the controller chip by a resin, providing a case having a main surface and a back surface, wherein the back surface of the case has a first recess and a second recess, and, covering the resin and the front surface of the substrate by the case. The depth of the first recess is deeper than the depth of the second recess. The resin is fitted in the first recess. An edge portion of the substrate is fitted in the second recess. The substrate warps so that a central portion of the substrate projects in a direction away from the case.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit (LSI) in which control information for determining a voltage or a width of a pulse produced itself can easily be set in parallel with other LSIs, and set information can be corrected easily. From an external evaluation device, a voltage of an expected value is supplied in overlapping manner to a plurality of LSIs each having a CPU and a flash memory. Each LSI incorporates a comparison circuit comparing an expected voltage value and a boosted voltage generated in itself. The CPU refers to a comparison result and optimizes control data in a data register for changing a boosted voltage. The CPU controls the comparison circuit and the data register and performs trimming in a self-completion manner, thereby making, trimming on a plurality of LSIs easily in a parallel manner and a total test time reduced.

Abstract: A malfunction detection system is provided that can continue or terminate processing appropriately even if a malfunction occurs in an information processing unit. In this regard, the information processing unit receives branch direction information, carries out a conditional branch depending on the branch direction information, and performs an applicable operation on data I. At this time, the information processing unit performs an applicable operation on data J, other than the operated data I, in the conditional branch path and outputs the result for examination, thereby enabling validation of the conditional branch.

Abstract: A direct sense amplifier of the present invention incorporates and isolates: an MOS transistor serving as a differential pair and having a gate connected to a bit line; and an MOS transistor controlled by a column select line wired between RLIO lines in a bit-line direction, and further connects a source of the MOS transistor serving as the differential pair to a common source line wired in the word-line direction. Since the direct sense amplifier only in a select map is activated by the column select line and the common source line during an read operation, power consumption is significantly reduced during the read operation. Also, since a parasitic capacitance of the MOS transistor serving as the differential pair is separated from the local IO line, a load capacity of the local IO line is reduced and the read operation is speeded up. In addition, during the read operation, a data pattern dependency of the load capacity of the local IO line is reduced and a post-manufacture test is easily made.

Abstract: In an IC card in which an internal circuit is operated by an internal power supply formed from alternate current from outside received by an antenna, the voltage of the internal power supply sometimes changes due to the operation of the internal circuit. Therefore, the voltage controlling circuit of the present invention includes a voltage controlling current source, and when the internal circuit is not operated and the current higher than a predetermined current is detected in the voltage controlling current source, an operating current detector circuit outputs an enable signal. When the internal circuit is operated in response to the enable signal, the current consumed in the internal circuit is subtracted from the current passing through the voltage controlling current source. Consequently, the current change in the entire internal power supply can be prevented, and the output voltage of the internal power supply can be kept constant.

Abstract: A DRAM whose operation is sped up and power consumption is reduced is provided. A pair of precharge MOSFETs for supplying a precharge voltage to a pair of input/output nodes of a CMOS sense amplifier is provided; the pair of input/output nodes are connected to a complementary bit-line pair via a selection switch MOSFET; a first equalize MOSFET is provided between the complementary bit-line pair for equalizing them; a memory cell is provided between one of the complementary bit-line pair and a word line intersecting with it; gate insulators of the selection switch MOSFETs and first equalize MOSFET are formed by first film thickness; a gate insulator of the precharge MOSFET is formed by second film thickness thinner than the first film thickness; a precharge signal corresponding to a power supply voltage is supplied to the precharge MOSFET; and an equalize signal and a selection signal corresponding to a boost voltage are supplied to the first equalize MOSFET and the selection switch MOSFET, respectively.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device is equipped with a negative feedback amplifier circuit or a step-down circuit which realizes stabilization of an output voltage effectively in response to a variation in power supply voltage. A constant current source is used to cause a bias current for setting current consumption to flow in a differential amplifying MOSFET. A capacitor is provided between an external power supply voltage and a predetermined circuit node to thereby detect a reduction in the external power supply voltage. An operating current of the differential amplifying MOSFET is increased through the use of a current flowing in the capacitor due to such an external power variation, thereby executing the operation of stabilizing an output voltage corresponding to the reduction in the external power supply voltage.

Abstract: The present invention provides a sense circuit for DRAM memory cell to cover the events that a sense time becomes remarkably longer when a power source voltage is lowered, a sense time under the low voltage condition becomes shorter when temperature rises and a sense time changes to a large extent for fluctuation of processes. The present invention provides the following typical effects. A switch means is provided between the bit line BL and local bit line LBL connected to the memory cells for isolation and coupling of these bit lines The bit line BL is precharged to the voltage of VDL/2, while the local bit line LBL is precharged to the voltage of VDL. The VDL is the maximum amplitude voltage of the bit line BL. A sense amplifier SA comprises a first circuit including a differential MOS pair having the gate connected to the bit line BL and a second circuit connected to the local bit line LBL for full amplitude amplification and for holding the data.

Abstract: An electrically programmable and erasable non-volatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory is designed into a configuration in which, when a cutoff of the power supply occurs in the course of a write or erase operation carried out on a memory cell employed in the non-volatile semiconductor memory, the operation currently being executed is discontinued and a write-back operation is carried out to change a threshold voltage of the memory cell in the reversed direction. In addition, the configuration also allows the number of charge-pump stages in an internal power-supply configuration to be changed in accordance with the level of a power-supply voltage so as to make the write-back operation correctly executable. As a result, no memory cells are put in deplete state even in the event of a power-supply cutoff in the course of a write or erase operation.

Abstract: There are provided a plurality of bridge circuits which convert the test data information from a common test bus connected to a plurality of memories of different access data widths and address decode logics to the inherent access data widths of each memory and also convert the test address information from the common test bus to the inherent bit format of each memory to supply the result to the corresponding memory. The test address information is supplied in parallel from the common test bus to a plurality of memories to realize the parallel tests. Accordingly, the test data information can be supplied in parallel to a plurality of memories of different data widths and the address scan direction in the respective memories for the test address information can be uniformed to the particular direction depending on the inherent bit format. Thereby, the memory test efficiency by the match pattern for a plurality of on-chip memories can be improved.

Abstract: In a process for the manufacture of a semiconductor integrated circuit device having an inlaid interconnect structure by embedding a conductor film in a recess, such as a trench or hole, formed in an organic insulating film which constitutes an interlevel dielectric film and includes an organosiloxane as a main component, the recess, such as a trench or hole, is formed by subjecting the organic insulating film to plasma dry etching in a CF-based gas/N2/Ar gas in order to suppress the formation of an abnormal shape on the bottom of the recess, upon formation of a photoresist film over the organic insulating film, followed by formation of the recess therein with the photoresist film as an etching mask.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device having a liquid crystal display element having a plurality of pixels. The video signal line driver circuit includes a plurality of amplifiers each of which has a pair of a first input terminal and a second input terminal, and a plurality of pairs of an inverting input terminal and a noninverting input terminal. Each of the plurality of amplifiers has a switching circuit which switches between a first state and a second state, based on a switching control signal supplied with a switching repetition period equal to double a display line repetition period.

Abstract: Bit lines and a pair of two tungsten wires having the same widths are formed at a portion where a through-hole is to be formed such that the bit lines and the tungsten wires are arranged at regular intervals. A through-hole for connection to another wiring layer is formed between the tungsten wires. A connection wiring made of tungsten is formed over the through-hole so as to have a predetermined margin around the through-hole. In a photolithography process, a slit having a small width enough to be insensitive to a photo-resist is formed so as to span the through-hole.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells (1). Each of the nonvolatile memory cells comprises a MOS type first transistor section (3) used for information storage, and a MOS type second transistor section (4) which selects the first transistor section. The second transistor section has a bit line electrode (16) connected to a bit line, and a control gate electrode (18) connected to a control gate control line. The first transistor section has a source line electrode (10) connected to a source line, a memory gate electrode (14) connected to a memory gate control line, and a charge storage region (11) disposed directly below the memory gate electrode. A gate withstand voltage of the second transistor section is lower than that of the first transistor section.

Abstract: There is provided a technique for improving the flatness at the surface of members embedded in a plurality of recesses without resulting in an increase in the time required for the manufacturing processes. According to this technique, the dummy patterns can be placed up to the area near the boundary BL between the element forming region DA and dummy region FA by placing the first dummy pattern DP1 of relatively wider area and the second dummy pattern DP2 of relatively small area in the dummy region FA. Thereby, the flatness of the surface of the silicon oxide film embedded within the isolation groove can be improved over the entire part of the dummy region FA. Moreover, an increase of the mask data can be controlled when the first dummy patterns DP1 occupy a relatively wide region among the dummy region FA.

Abstract: A liquid crystal drive device having a differential-type input circuit including a differential amplification stage for receiving a differential signal and a buffer stage for generating an output signal on the basis of an output of the differential amplification stage, the liquid crystal drive device for receiving a signal of display data via the input circuit and outputting a signal for driving a liquid crystal panel on the basis of the display data, wherein a liquid crystal driving voltage VLCD larger than a power supply voltage VCC for logic to be supplied to the operation voltage buffer stage is supplied to the differential amplification stage of the input circuit. A standby function of interrupting an operation current of the differential amplification stage in a period where no display data is received is provided.