Patents by Inventor Akira Akahori

Akira Akahori has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10923173
    Abstract: A voltage generating circuit, a semiconductor memory device, and a voltage generating method are provided. The voltage generating circuit includes: an oscillation signal generating part generating an oscillation signal that alternately repeats a state of a first voltage and a state of a second voltage; a capacitor having one end receiving the oscillation signal and an other end connected to an output node; a switch element receiving a control voltage and set to an on state or an off state according to the control voltage, and applying the first voltage to the output node when set to the on state; and a switch control part supplying, as the control voltage to the switch element, the second voltage when the oscillation signal is in the state of the first voltage, and a voltage of the output node when the oscillation signal is in the state of the second voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: LAPIS Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akira Akahori
  • Publication number: 20190385659
    Abstract: A voltage generating circuit, a semiconductor memory device, and a voltage generating method are provided. The voltage generating circuit includes: an oscillation signal generating part generating an oscillation signal that alternately repeats a state of a first voltage and a state of a second voltage; a capacitor having one end receiving the oscillation signal and an other end connected to an output node; a switch element receiving a control voltage and set to an on state or an off state according to the control voltage, and applying the first voltage to the output node when set to the on state; and a switch control part supplying, as the control voltage to the switch element, the second voltage when the oscillation signal is in the state of the first voltage, and a voltage of the output node when the oscillation signal is in the state of the second voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Applicant: LAPIS SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD
    Inventor: Akira Akahori
  • Patent number: 9887012
    Abstract: A write voltage generation circuit includes: a power supply terminal that receives an external power supply voltage; a boosting circuit that boosts the external power supply voltage to generate a boosted voltage; and a selector that selects either one of the external power supply voltage and the boosted voltage, and outputs the selected voltage as the write voltage. The selector selects the external power supply voltage as the write voltage in a first part of a write period for writing data to a memory cell, and selects the boosted voltage as the write voltage in a latter part of the write period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: LAPIS SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akira Akahori, Katsuaki Matsui
  • Publication number: 20160322086
    Abstract: A write voltage generation circuit includes: a power supply terminal that receives an external power supply voltage; a boosting circuit that boosts the external power supply voltage to generate a boosted voltage; and a selector that selects either one of the external power supply voltage and the boosted voltage, and outputs the selected voltage as the write voltage. The selector selects the external power supply voltage as the write voltage in a first part of a write period for writing data to a memory cell, and selects the boosted voltage as the write voltage in a latter part of the write period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2016
    Publication date: November 3, 2016
    Applicant: LAPIS Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira AKAHORI, Katsuaki MATSUI
  • Publication number: 20140111182
    Abstract: A reference voltage generation circuit includes a standard electrical current path including at least a pair of NMOS and PMOS, and a constant electrical current supplying circuit for supplying a constant electrical current to the standard electrical current path. The pair of NMOS and PMOS is configured to share a gate potential and a source-drain electrical current. Accordingly, the reference voltage generation circuit is configured to generate a reference voltage as a potential difference between two positions sandwiching the NMOS and PMOS. The reference voltage generation circuit further includes a timing compensation circuit. The timing compensation circuit includes a compensation DMOS for forming a detour electrical current path for bypassing the NMOS according to an on signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2013
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: LAPIS SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akira AKAHORI
  • Patent number: 8411515
    Abstract: Semiconductor memory including a reference amplifier and a high-speed start-up circuit having four FETs. The reference amplifier supplies the reference voltage to a sense amplifier via a reference voltage supply line. The high-speed startup circuit has four FETs. The first FET is turned on to apply a first voltage onto a first line when the enable signal indicates deactivation. The second FET is turned on to apply ground potential onto the first line when the voltage on the reference voltage supply line is higher than a gate threshold voltage value. The third FET is turned on to generate the first voltage when the enable signal indicates activation. The fourth FET is turned off when the first line is at ground potential and is turned on to supply the first voltage from the third FET onto the reference voltage supply line when the first voltage is applied onto the first line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Lapis Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akira Akahori
  • Publication number: 20120092938
    Abstract: Semiconductor memory including a reference amplifier and a high-speed start-up circuit having four FETs. The reference amplifier supplies the reference voltage to a sense amplifier via a reference voltage supply line. The high-speed startup circuit has four FETs. The first FET is turned on to apply a first voltage onto a first line when the enable signal indicates deactivation. The second FET is turned on to apply ground potential onto the first line when the voltage on the reference voltage supply line is higher than a gate threshold voltage value. The third FET is turned on to generate the first voltage when the enable signal indicates activation. The fourth FET is turned off when the first line is at ground potential and is turned on to supply the first voltage from the third FET onto the reference voltage supply line when the first voltage is applied onto the first line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: OKI SEMICONDUCTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akira AKAHORI
  • Patent number: 7639036
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit having a test circuit for inspecting states of connections between a plurality of pads and respective external terminals by bonding wires. The test circuit comprises, for each of a plurality of pads, a control terminal provided to receive a control signal of a logic level equal to the logic level of a signal applied to a corresponding one of the external terminals, an inverter which inverts the logic level on the control terminal, an inverted output terminal of the inverter being connected to the pad via a connection line; and an exclusive-NOR gate which outputs an exclusive NOR of the logic level on the connection line and the logic level on the control terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Oki Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akira Akahori
  • Publication number: 20090066362
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit having a test circuit for inspecting states of connections between a plurality of pads and respective external terminals by bonding wires. The test circuit comprises, for each of a plurality of pads, a control terminal provided to receive a control signal of a logic level equal to the logic level of a signal applied to a corresponding one of the external terminals, an inverter which inverts the logic level on the control terminal, an inverted output terminal of the inverter being connected to the pad via a connection line; and an exclusive-NOR gate which outputs an exclusive NOR of the logic level on the connection line and the logic level on the control terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2008
    Publication date: March 12, 2009
    Applicant: OKI ELECTRIC INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akira Akahori
  • Patent number: 7417466
    Abstract: In a flip-flop circuit where latched complementary signals of first and second output terminals are inverted by complementary first and second input pulses, the conductivity of a first load transistor connected to the first output terminal is controlled by the signal from the second output terminal, and the conductivity of a second load transistor connected to the second output terminal is controlled by the signal from the first output terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2008
    Assignee: Oki Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akira Akahori
  • Patent number: 7394294
    Abstract: A complementary pass-transistor logic includes input nodes provided with first complementary signals; intermediate nodes for outputting complementary intermediate signals; a logic network comprised of NMOS transistors, the network being connected between the input nodes and the intermediate nodes, and the conduction states of the transistors being controlled by second complementary input signals to output a logical operation result of the first and second input signals to the intermediate nodes; and inverters for inverting the intermediate signals and producing complementary output signals, wherein the NMOS transistors of the logic network are configured as a depletion-type NMOS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignee: Okie Electric Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Akira Akahori
  • Publication number: 20070188197
    Abstract: In a flip-flop circuit where latched complementary signals of first and second output terminals are inverted by complementary first and second input pulses, the conductivity of a first load transistor connected to the first output terminal is controlled by the signal from the second output terminal, and the conductivity of a second load transistor connected to the second output terminal is controlled by the signal from the first output terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Publication date: August 16, 2007
    Inventor: Akira Akahori
  • Publication number: 20060181313
    Abstract: An input inverter section inverts a plurality of input signals to generate complementary signals and supplies signals complementary to these input signals to a logic circuit network. The logic circuit network comprises a plurality of pairs of depletion type NMOSs (NDMOSs) whose conducting states are respectively controlled on a complementary basis by the supplied signals. Since each of the NDMOSs has a threshold voltage set negative, a drain current flows even if its gate voltage is 0V, and hence it is not brought into a complete off state. It is therefore possible to speed up a change from an off state to an on state and raise a signal of an “H” level at a node from which a signal indicative of the result of logical operations is outputted, to a potential identical to a power supply potential. The signal at the node is outputted from an output buffer section as an output signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2005
    Publication date: August 17, 2006
    Inventor: Akira Akahori
  • Publication number: 20060109031
    Abstract: A complementary pass-transistor logic includes input nodes provided with first complementary signals; intermediate nodes for outputting complementary intermediate signals; a logic network comprised of NMOS transistors, the network being connected between the input nodes and the intermediate nodes, and the conduction states of the transistors being controlled by second complementary input signals to output a logical operation result of the first and second input signals to the intermediate nodes; and inverters for inverting the intermediate signals and producing complementary output signals, wherein the NMOS transistors of the logic network are configured as a depression-type NMOS.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2005
    Publication date: May 25, 2006
    Inventor: Akira Akahori