Patents Assigned to Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
  • Patent number: 6690603
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Matsubara, Naoki Yashiki, Shiro Baba, Takashi Ito, Hirofumi Mukai, Masanao Sato, Masaaki Terasawa, Kenichi Kuroda, Kazuyoshi Shiba
  • Patent number: 6400609
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having and 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Matsubara, Naoki Yashiki, Shiro Baba, Takashi Ito, Hirofumi Mukai, Masanao Sato, Masaaki Terasawa, Kenichi Kuroda, Kazuyoshi Shiba
  • Patent number: 6335879
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having and 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2002
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Matsubara, Naoki Yashiki, Shiro Baba, Takashi Ito, Hirofumi Mukai, Masanao Sato, Masaaki Terasawa, Kenichi Kuroda, Kazuyoshi Shiba
  • Patent number: 6181598
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having and 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Matsubara, Naoki Yashiki, Shiro Baba, Takashi Ito, Hirofumi Mukai, Masanao Sato, Masaaki Terasawa, Kenichi Kuroda, Kazuyoshi Shiba
  • Patent number: 6166953
    Abstract: A semiconductor device having and 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Matsubara, Naoki Yashiki, Shiro Baba, Takashi Ito, Hirofumi Mukai, Masanao Sato, Masaaki Terasawa, Kenichi Kuroda, Kazuyoshi Shiba
  • Patent number: 5825773
    Abstract: In a method of transferring packets in a network for a parallel processor system handling a one-to-one transfer packet to be transferred from a processor to another processor and a broadcast packet to be transferred from a processor to a plurality of other processors, a transfer request of a broadcast packet is preferentially selected and a check is made to detect whether or not a plurality of processors specified as receivers are in a state in which the packet can be received. The broadcast packet is transferred to the processors found to be in the state in which the packet can be received. The packet transfer is delayed for the other processors in a state in which the packet cannot be received. Namely, only when the state of the processors is changed to the state in which the packet can be received, the broadcast packet is transferred thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Shin'ichi Shutoh, Junji Nakagoshi, Naoki Hamanaka, Hiroyuki Chiba, Tatsuo Higuchi, Shigeo Takeuchi, Yasuhiro Ogata, Taturu Toba
  • Patent number: 5826049
    Abstract: In order to determine a transfer path of a message to a receiving-end processor group, a processor includes a routing bit generation circuit, and an exchange switch includes partial broadcast path control circuits and a path control information alteration circuit. In order to define the range of a receiving-end processor group, a network includes transfer control circuits. A crossbar switch includes transfer control circuits associated with output ports and a boundary register group. When a partial broadcast message is transferred from an input port in the downstream direction of an output port, it is decided whether a belonging to the partial broadcast range associated with a connected to the particular input port is connected to the particular output port, whereby the particular partial broadcast message is transferred from the same output port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Ogata, Junji Nakagoshi, Naoki Hamanaka, Hiroyuki Chiba, Shinichi Shutoh, Tatsuo Higuchi, Shigeo Takeuchi, Taturu Toba, Teruo Tanaka
  • Patent number: 5811316
    Abstract: Herein disclosed is a semiconductor integrated circuit device fabricating process for forming MISFETs over the principal surface in those active regions of a substrate, which are surrounded by inactive regions formed of an element separating insulating film and channel stopper regions, comprising: the step of for forming a first mask by a non-oxidizable mask and an etching mask sequentially over the principal surface of the active regions of the substrate; the step of forming a second mask on and in self-alignment with the side walls of the first mask by a non-oxidizable mask thinner than the non-oxidizable mask of the first mask and an etching mask respectively; the step of etching the principal surface of the inactive regions of the substrate by using the first mask and the second mask; the step of forming the element separating insulating film over the principal surface of the inactive regions of the substrate by an oxidization using the first mask and the second mask; and the step of forming the channel s
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1998
    Assignees: Hitachi. Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Sugiura, Osamu Tsuchiya, Makoto Ogasawara, Fumio Ootsuka, Kazuyoshi Torii, Isamu Asano, Nobuo Owada, Mitsuaki Horiuchi, Tsuyoshi Tamaru, Hideo Aoki, Nobuhiro Otsuka, Seiichirou Shirai, Masakazu Sagawa, Yoshihiro Ikeda, Masatoshi Tsuneoka, Toru Kaga, Tomotsugu Shimmyo, Hidetsugu Ogishi, Osamu Kasahara, Hiromichi Enami, Atsushi Wakahara, Hiroyuki Akimori, Sinichi Suzuki, Keisuke Funatsu, Yoshinao Kawasaki, Tunehiko Tubone, Takayoshi Kogano, Ken Tsugane
  • Patent number: 5723903
    Abstract: Ends of inner leads are disposed in the vicinity of a peripheral end of a semiconductor chip and a portion of an insulating film tape is affixed to a main surface of the semiconductor chip by an adhesive while other portions of the insulating film tape are affixed to portions of the inner leads by an adhesive. Electrode pads provided in the main surface of the semiconductor chip are electrically connected to the ends of the corresponding inner leads by bonding wires, and the semiconductor chip, the inner leads, the electrode pads, the insulating film tape and the bonding wares are sealed by a resin molding. The thickness of the insulating film tape is smaller than a height from the main surface of the semiconductor chip to an apex of the bonding wire. Surfaces of the ends of the inner leads connected to the bonding wires are positioned lower than the main surface of the semiconductor chip and the inner leads are positioned between the main surface and an opposite surface of the semiconductor chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Masachika Masuda, Tamaki Wada
  • Patent number: 5677880
    Abstract: In a semiconductor memory, switch circuits are provided so as to inhibit voltage and signal supplies to each of the normal memory blocks when so required. On the other hand, a ROM is provided on the chip so as to store the address of a defective memory block which consumes an excessively large stand-by current when the semiconductor memory is in the stand-by mode. The switch circuits are controlled by the output of the ROM so as to inhibit the voltage and signal supply to the defective memory block. Then, a spare memory block which is substituted for the defective normal memory block receives the voltage and signal supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 14, 1997
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Masashi Horiguchi, Jun Etoh, Masakazu Aoki, Yoshinobu Nakagome, Hitoshi Tanaka, Kiyoo Itoh
  • Patent number: 5638246
    Abstract: In a semiconductor device including a power MOSFET (M.sub.0) for the output stage, a temperature detection circuit produces an output signal upon detecting an abnormal rise in the chip temperature, the signal turns on a set input element (M.sub.1) in a latch circuit so that the latch circuit becomes a set state, the set output of the latch circuit turns on a control element (M.sub.5), causing the power MOSFET to become non-conductive so that it is protected from destruction. The latch circuit is not brought to a reset state even if the external gate terminal of the device is brought to zero volt. With a voltage outside the range of the normal input signal, e.g., a large negative voltage, being applied to the external gate terminal, the gate capacitance of the control element (M.sub.5) discharges, and consequently the latch circuit is brought to the reset state and the protective operation is cancelled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1997
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Kozo Sakamoto, Isao Yoshida, Masatoshi Morikawa, Shigeo Ohtaka, Hideki Tsunoda
  • Patent number: 5617545
    Abstract: A parallel computer network wherein an arbitration circuit for performing arbitrating operation over a plurality of processing requests at the same time at high speed is provided in a crossbar network control circuit to thereby prevent the processing requests not selected from being kept awaited for a long time. The arbitration circuit includes a priority bit change circuit which has a plurality of adders for adding a preset value to the priority information of the each awaited processing request and also has a plurality of comparators for detecting the requests being awaited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 1, 1997
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Ogata, Shigeo Takeuchi, Taturu Toba, Shinichi Shutoh, Naoki Hamanaka
  • Patent number: 5610420
    Abstract: A plurality of memory cells have their sources and drains formed integrally with n.sup.+ -buried layers acting as first data lines in a semiconductor substrate. The n.sup.+ -buried layers are connected with second data lines through transfer MISFETs. These transfer MISFETs have their gates made of the same layer of polycrystalline silicon as that of the floating gates of memory cells are shunted at each predetermined number of bits by Al lines having a lower resistance than that of the polycrystalline silicon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 11, 1997
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Kuroda, Masaaki Terasawa, Kiyoshi Matsubara
  • Patent number: 5581503
    Abstract: An electrically rewritable flash memory device which has a memory cell array arranged in rows and columns of memory cells and which is divided into a plurality of memory blocks having different memory capacities. Each memory block having one or more rows of memory cells. A common voltage control circuit is provided for each of the memory blocks for applying a first potential to a common conductor for a memory block containing a memory cell selected with a selection voltage applied to its associated data line conductor for a writing operation and a second potential higher than the first potential to a common conductor for a memory block containing a memory cell unselected with the selection voltage applied to its associated data line conductor and containing no selected memory cell for a writing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 3, 1996
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Matsubara, Naoki Yashiki, Shiro Baba, Takashi Ito, Hirofumi Mukai, Masanao Sato, Masaaki Terasawa, Kenichi Kuroda, Kazuyoshi Shiba
  • Patent number: 5526313
    Abstract: Disclosed is a one-chip ULSI which can carry out the fixed operation in a wide range of power supply voltage (1 V to 5.5 V). This one-chip ULSI is composed of a voltage converter circuit(s) which serves to a fixed internal voltage for a wide range of power supply voltage, an input/output buffer which can be adapted to several input/output levels, a dynamid RAM(s) which can operate at a power supply voltage of 2 V or less, etc. This one-chip ULSI can be applied to compact and portable electronic devices such as a lap-top type personal computer, an electronic pocket note book, a solid-state camera, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 11, 1996
    Assignees: Hitachi Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Etoh, Kiyoo Itoh, Yoshiki Kawajiri, Yoshinobu Nakagome, Eiji Kume, Hitoshi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 5523593
    Abstract: By forming an isolated semiconductor layer or electrode layer on a semiconductor surface between neighboring field effect transistors and element separating trenches which are deep enough to reach at least the semi-insulating substrate or the hetero junction interface on the buffer layer, low frequency oscillation of a compound semiconductor integrated circuit can be reduced. By controlling the thickness of the buffer layer having a hetero junction to at most 150 nm, the low frequency oscillation can be reduced. By forming materials separating adjacent elements with a width of at most 2 .mu.m which reach from the element region surface to the buffer layer having hetero junction so as to enclose the element regions and etched regions in the neighborhood of the elements or so as to enclose the element regions in the etched regions and by controlling the angle of the sides of the etched regions against the semiconductor layer surface to 10.degree. to 60.degree., wires can be prevented from short-circuiting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1993
    Date of Patent: June 4, 1996
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Kagaya, Hiroyuki Takazawa, Yoshinori Imamura, Junji Shigeta, Yukihiro Kawata, Hiroto Oda
  • Patent number: 5517604
    Abstract: A process for architecting a figure input/output interface of an instance is provided in an object-oriented design supporting system or the like. An applicable graphic editor is provided with a figure editor, which expands a function for defining a method to draw a user figure and also a function for defining a slot of a figure attribute when the user figure is designated; and furthermore expands a function to produce an instance when the user figure is drawn and also a function for coupling the instances when the figures are connected with each other. Then, input/output figures of a design component are defined and inputted with employment of this applicable graphic editor. In the output, a slot of the displayed instance is updated and then a display is deformed. As a result, the formation of the figure input/output for the instance such as the design component is available by only operating the screen of the applicable graphic editor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1996
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuhiko Yuura, Hisashi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 5495118
    Abstract: Between an external terminal and the gate of one of output MOSFETs whose source or drain is connected to the external terminal, there is connected a P-channel type first protective MOSFET whose gate is connected to a high voltage side power supply terminal and which has a channel length equal to or larger than that of the output MOSFET, or an N-channel type second protective MOSFET whose gate is connected to a low voltage side power supply terminal and which has a channel length equal to or larger then that of the output MOSFET. When the external terminal is discharged by device charge, one of the protective MOSFETs is turned on, and the charge on the gate side of the output MOSFET can be likewise released by device charge to prevent ESD (Electro-Static Discharge) breakdown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 27, 1996
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Kinoshita, Yukio Kawashima, Hideaki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 5455797
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a constant voltage generator for generating a voltage based on a difference between threshold voltages of two MOS transistors, and a voltage sampling device for sampling the output voltage of the constant voltage generator circuit, wherein the voltage sampling device samples the output voltage of the constant voltage generator before an electric source switch for the constant voltage generator is turned off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 3, 1995
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Etoh, Yoshinobu Nakagome, Hitoshi Tanaka, Koji Kawamoto, Masakazu Aoki
  • Patent number: 5446313
    Abstract: Ends of inner leads are disposed in the vicinity of a peripheral end of a semiconductor chip and a portion of an insulating film tape is affixed to a main surface of the semiconductor chip by an adhesive while other portions of the insulating film tape are affixed to portions of the inner leads by an adhesive. Electrode pads provided in the main surface of the semiconductor chip are electrically connected to the ends of the corresponding inner leads by bonding wires, and the semiconductor chip, the inner leads, the electrode pads, the insulating film tape and the bonding wires are sealed by a resin molding. A thickness of the insulating film tape is smaller than a height from the main surface of the semiconductor chip to an apex of the bonding wire. Surfaces of the ends of the inner leads connected to the bonding wires are positioned to be lower than the main surface of the semiconductor chip and the inner leads are positioned between the main surface and an opposite surface of the semiconductor chip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 29, 1995
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: Masachika Masuda, Tamaki Wada