Abstract: An objective lens system opposing an imaged surface of semiconductor device, and imaging lens system arranged between this objective lens system and image sensor is used to inspect a lower component of the semiconductor device without being influence by an upper component. The F value of objective lens system is made into 1.5 or less, and an imaged surface is photographed and inspected. The imaging lens system also has several lenses with different focal distances. According to the desired magnification, a predetermined lens among the plurality of lenses is arranged in the predetermined location of an optical axis, and the other lenses are evacuated from an optical axis.

Abstract: Chipping of semiconductor chips is to be prevented. A semiconductor device comprises a semiconductor chip having a main surface, a plurality of pads formed over the main surface, a rearrangement wiring formed over the main surface to alter an arrangement of the plurality of pads, and a protective film and an insulating film formed over the main surface, and a plurality of solder bumps each connected to the rearrangement wiring and arranged differently from the plurality of pads. The presence of a bevel cut surface obliquely continuous to the main surface and formed on a periphery of the main surface of the semiconductor chip prevents chipping.

Abstract: Interconnections are formed over an interlayer insulating film which covers MISFETQ1 formed on the principal surface of a semiconductor substrate, while dummy interconnections are disposed in a region spaced from such interconnections. Dummy interconnections are disposed also in a scribing area. Dummy interconnections are not formed at the peripheries of a bonding pad and a marker. In addition, a gate electrode of a MISFET and a dummy gate interconnection formed of the same layer are disposed. Furthermore, dummy regions are disposed in a shallow trench element-isolation region. After such dummy members are disposed, an insulating film is planarized by the CMP method.

Abstract: During a stand-by state in which power supply is cut off, a high-voltage power supply control circuit isolates a global negative voltage line transmitting a negative voltage and a local negative voltage line provided corresponding to each respective sub array block from each other and isolates a global ground line and a local ground line transmitting a ground voltage from each other. These local ground line and local negative voltage line are charged to a high voltage level through a high voltage line before cut-off from the corresponding power supply. A leakage current path from a word line to the negative voltage line or the ground line is cut off, so that the word line in a non-selected state can reliably be maintained at a non-selection voltage. Thus, in a low power consumption stand-by mode, data stored in a memory cell can be held in a stable manner.

Abstract: The present invention provides a semiconductor device capable of preventing occurrence of cracking and the like, taking a large area, where wiring and the like that function as elemental devices can be arranged, within a plurality of interlayer insulation films, and reducing production cost. The semiconductor device according to the present invention has a low dielectric constant film having a dielectric constant of not less than 2.7. In the low dielectric constant film and the like, materials (e.g., a first dummy pattern, a second dummy pattern) with a larger hardness than that of the low dielectric constant film are formed at a part under a pad part.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including the steps of preparing a silicon substrate which has a main surface whose plane direction is a surface (100); forming an n channel MISFET (Metal Insulator Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) which has a gate electrode, a source region, a drain region and a channel whose channel length direction is parallel to a crystal orientation <100> of the silicon substrate; and forming NiSi over the gate electrode and NiSi2 over the source region and the drain region at the same steps.

Abstract: p-type wells are provided within an n-type embedded well of a semiconductor substrate lying in an area for forming a flash memory, in a state of being isolated from one another. A capacitance section, a data write/erase charge injection/discharge section and a data read MIS•FET are disposed in each of the p-type wells. The capacitance section is disposed between the data write/erase charge injection/discharge section and the data read MIS•FET. In the data write/erase charge injection/discharge section, writing and erasing of data by an FN tunnel current at a channel entire surface are performed.

Abstract: Disclosed is a non-volatile semiconductor memory device that uses a inversion layer provided on a semiconductor substrate as a data line. The memory device can reduce variation of characteristics among memory cells and can reduce bit cost. A plurality of assist gates are formed in the upper part of a p-type well through a gate oxide film. In the upper part of an interlayer insulator that covers those assist gates are formed word lines that are used as control electrodes. The width of those word lines is, for example, 0.1 ?m, and each word line is separated from its adjacent word lines by a side wall spacer that is a silicon oxide film having a thickness of about 20 nm.

Abstract: A semiconductor device with a packaging circuit portion connected to a semiconductor chip therein. The semiconductor chip includes a plurality of pad electrodes, and the packaging circuit portion includes wiring connected to the pad electrodes on the semiconductor chip, mounting terminals, and a first signal path for receiving a signal output from the predetermined one of the pad electrodes and transmitting the signal to other one of the pad electrodes. The first signal path includes delay elements comparable to delays in a second signal path extending from the predetermined one of the mounting terminals to the other one of the mounting terminals through the semiconductor chip, and is disposed on a feedback path for phase comparison for synchronizing the phase of an output signal from the second signal path to the phase of an input signal to the second signal path.

Abstract: A semiconductor device in which memory chips are stacked on the surface of a wiring substrate has a microcomputer chip and an interposer chip arranged on the surface of the memory chip. The pads of the microcomputer chip and the pads of the interposer chip are arranged almost circularly and are connected by bonding wires.

Abstract: A technology that makes it possible to reduce fluctuation in operating voltage for operating the circuits formed in the core region of a semiconductor device is provided. This semiconductor device is so arranged that the core region is divided into multiple functional blocks and power can be supplied and this power supply can be interrupted with respect to each of the divided functional blocks. The core region formed in the semiconductor chip is divided into multiple functional blocks. A power switch row in which multiple power switches are arranged is disposed in the boundaries between the divided functional blocks. These power switches have a function of controlling the supply of reference potential to each of functional blocks and the interruption of this supply. A feature of the invention is that reference pads are disposed directly above the power switch rows. This shortens the wires coupling together the reference pads and the power switches.

Abstract: A technology which allows a reduction in the thermal resistance of a semiconductor device and the miniaturization thereof is provided. The semiconductor device has a plurality of unit transistors Q, transistor formation regions 3a, 3b, and 3e each having a first number (seven) of the unit transistors Q, and transistor formation regions 3c and 3d each having a second number (four) of the unit transistors Q. The transistor formation regions 3c and 3d are located between the transistor formation regions 3a, 3b, 3e, and 3f and the first number is larger than the second number.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a magnetic memory is described. The method and system include providing magnetic memory cells, local and global word lines, bit lines, and source lines. Each magnetic memory cell includes a magnetic element and a selection device connected with the magnetic element. The magnetic element is programed by first and second write currents driven through the magnetic element in first and second directions. The local word lines are connected with the selection device of and have a first resistivity. Each global word line corresponds to a portion of the local word lines and has a resistivity lower than the first resistivity. The bit lines are connected with the magnetic element. The source lines are connected with the selection device. Each source line corresponds to a more than one of the magnetic memory cells and carries the first and second write currents.

Abstract: In a semiconductor chip A wherein an element layer 2 having transistors and the like is formed on the front face, and the back face is joined to an underlying member, such as a package substrate, the thickness T is made 100 ?m or less, and thereafter, a gettering layer 3 is formed on the back face of the semiconductor chip A. The gettering layer 3 is formed, for example, by polishing the back face of said semiconductor chip A using a polishing machine. Thereby, the yield of devices can be improved in the step for assembling the package.

Abstract: A technology capable of improving the yield in a manufacturing process of a MISFET with a gate electrode formed of a metal silicide film. A gate insulating film is formed on a semiconductor substrate and silicon gate electrodes formed of a polysilicon film are formed on the gate insulating film. Then, after a silicon oxide film is formed so as to cover the silicon gate electrodes, a surface of the silicon oxide film is polished by CMP, thereby exposing the surface of the silicon gate electrodes. Subsequently, a patterned insulating film is formed on the silicon oxide film. Thereafter, an adhesion film is formed on the silicon oxide film and the insulating film. Then, a nickel film is formed on the adhesion film. Thereafter, a silicide reaction is caused to occur between the silicon gate electrode and the nickel film via the adhesion film.

Abstract: A broadcast station synchronization method in a mobile terminal operating with a system clock different from the reference clock of a broadcast station, wherein a clock synchronized with the broadcast station is reproduced according to an internal reference clock corrected by the reference time information from the broadcast station, a difference between an elapsed time at a predetermined time interval and the audio reproduction time is detected, the audio reproduction time is adjusted to cancel the difference, and the PCM transmission for reproducing the audio uses a signal indicating the PCM data transmission completion as a trigger for latching the internal reference clock count unit reproducing the clock synchronized with the broadcast station so as to acquire the clock time synchronized with the broadcast station of the same period as the audio reproduction time per a predetermined period, thereby performing synchronization with the broadcast station.

Abstract: A semiconductor IC device which includes a circuit region and a peripheral region on a main surface of a semiconductor substrate, a first insulating film formed over the main surface, external terminals arranged in the peripheral region and formed over the first insulating film, a conductive guard ring formed over the first insulating film and provided around the external terminals, and second insulating films formed in the internal region and the peripheral region, the second insulating film in the peripheral region is formed over the first insulating film and over the guard ring and is contacting the external terminals, the second insulating films of the circuit region and that of the peripheral region are separately formed and are isolated from each other. Separate second insulating film may be formed over the wirings of one or more of existing wiring levels of the semiconductor device.

Abstract: After a digit line is charged to a power supply voltage by turn-on of a first switching element, the first switching element is turned off and a second switching element is turned on, whereby the digit line is connected to a ground voltage. Similarly, in order to feed data write current, a bit line is charged to a data voltage in accordance with write data through a third switching element. Then, the bit line is connected to a voltage different from the data voltage by a fourth switching element while the third switching element is turned off. Therefore, a load current from a power supply to an MRAM device is supplied during charging of a digit line capacitance and a bit line capacitance, without being consumed when the data write current flows. Consequently, a peak of the load current supplied from the power supply is suppressed.

Abstract: In the chip with which a plurality of MISFET from which threshold value voltage differs is intermingled, leakage current, such as GIDL current and BTBT current, is suppressed, inhibiting the short channel effect of MISFET. The concentration of the impurity for threshold value voltage adjustment implanted to the region in which n channel type MISFET with relatively low threshold value voltage is formed is made lower than the concentration of the impurity for threshold value voltage adjustment implanted to the region in which n channel type MISFET with relatively high threshold value voltage is formed. Implantation amount of the impurity at the time of forming n? type semiconductor region 19 and punch-through stopper layer 20 in region ALTN is made larger than the implantation amount of the impurity at the time of forming n? type semiconductor region 16 and punch-through stopper layer 17 in region AHTN, respectively.

Abstract: A driving circuit provided by the present invention is characterized in that the driving circuit selects a gray-scale voltage in accordance with high-order bits of display data from a group of gray-scale voltages with their voltage level varying step by step from fractional time period to fractional time period, which are set in advance, and outputs the selected gray-scale voltage during a time period between the start of a scanning period and a time at which a number assigned to a fractional time period matches quantitative information contained in low-order bits of the display data. In addition, the driving circuit provided by the present invention is also characterized in that the time ratio of the first fractional time period is set at a relatively high value while the time ratios of the second and subsequent fractional time periods are each set at a relatively low value.