Abstract: The signal level conversion circuit has a first terminal for a signal of a low power voltage; a second terminal for a signal of a high power voltage higher than the low power voltage; a level shifter which is disposed in a signal path from the first terminal to the second terminal to convert the low power voltage signal into the high power voltage signal; and a first input buffer including a first inverter of P1 and N1 whose gates are connected to the first terminal, and a one-way device between a voltage supply of the low power voltage and a source of P1.

Abstract: A switch circuit formed on a semiconductor substrate, comprising: a first terminal to which a signal of transmission object is inputted; a second terminal from which a signal of transmission object is outputted; a first transistor formed in a first semiconductor region in said semiconductor substrate, which has one of a source and a drain terminals connected to said first terminal and another thereof connected to said second terminal; a control circuit which controls a gate voltage of said first transistor; and a first rectifying element which has an anode terminal connected to said first terminal, a cathode terminal connected to a power supply terminal of said control circuit, said first rectifying element being formed in a second semiconductor region in said semiconductor substrate separate from said first semiconductor region.

Abstract: A signal-level converter is provided between a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal is connected to a first logic circuit operating at a first supply voltage higher than a given reference voltage. The second terminal is connected to a second logic circuit operating at a second supply voltage higher than the first supply voltage. The signal-level converter has a switching transistor that forms a current passage between the first and the second terminals in response to a control signal supplied to a gate of the switching transistor and a bus-hold circuitry, provided between the switching transistor and either the first or the second terminal as the output terminal, the other being the input terminal, and configured to convert a voltage level of a signal transferred via the switching transistor into another voltage level at the output terminal. The bus-hold circuitry may have two bus-hold circuits between the input and the output terminals, for two-way signal transfer.

Abstract: A protection circuit including a power supply terminal supplied with a power supply potential, a reference terminal supplied with a reference potential, and a first p-channel MOS transistor having a first gate, a first source, a first drain and a first back gate. The first gate, the first source and the first back gate are connected to the power supply terminal. Also included is a second p-channel MOS transistor having a second gate, a second source, a second drain and the first back gate, in which the second source of the second p-channel MOS transistor is connected to the first drain of the first p-channel MOS transistor, and the second gate and the second drain of the second p-channel MOS transistor is connected to the reference terminal.

Abstract: A bus buffer has a controller to generate several control signals; a first terminal via which a first-directional signal is input whereas a second-directional signal is output; a second terminal via which the first-directional signal is output whereas the second-directional signal is input; a first-directional signal processor, provided between the first and second terminals, having a first internal circuit and a first output buffer; a second-directional signal processor, provided between the second and first terminals, having a second internal circuit and a second output buffer; a first input buffer having a first input holder to disactivate the first internal circuit and the first output buffer by using at least one of the control signals; and a second input buffer having a second input holder to disactivate the second internal circuit and the second output buffer by using the at least one control signal, for holding the input to the input buffers at a certain level to decrease a current to pass these circu

Abstract: A bus buffer has a controller to generate several control signals; a first terminal via which a first-directional signal is input whereas a second-directional signal is output; a second terminal via which the first-directional signal is output whereas the second-directional signal is input; a first-directional signal processor, provided between the first and second terminals, having a first internal circuit and a first output buffer; a second-directional signal processor, provided between the second and first terminals, having a second internal circuit and a second output buffer; a first input buffer having a first input holder to disactivate the first internal circuit and the first output buffer by using at least one of the control signals; and a second input buffer having a second input holder to disactivate the second internal circuit and the second output buffer by using the at least one control signal, for holding the input to the input buffers at a certain level to decrease a current to pass these circu

Abstract: A power supply terminal is supplied with a power supply potential. A reference terminal is supplied with a reference potential. First and second p-channel MOS transistor, and first and second n-channel MOS transistor each has a gate, a source, a drain, and a back gate. The gate, source and back gate of the first pMOS transistor, the back gate of the second pMOS transistor, and the gate and drain of the second nMOS transistor are connected to the power supply terminal. The source of the second pMOS transistor is connected to the drain of the first pMOS transistor. The gate and drain of the second pMOS transistor, the gate, source and back gate of the first nMOS transistor, and the back gate of the second nMOS transistor are connected to the reference terminal. The source of the second nMOS transistor is connected to the drain of the first nMOS transistor.

Abstract: A temperature detector circuit for converting a forward drop voltage of a diode to digital data by means of an AD converter is provided. In order to restrict an occurrence of an output error caused by dispersion in diode manufacture, correction data according to digital data obtained by the AD converter is stored in advance in a storage circuit under a known arbitrary temperature condition, and subtraction is performed between digital data obtained by the AD converter under an unknown temperature condition and correction data read from a storage circuit, thereby to perform correction.

Abstract: A semiconductor device of the present invention comprises: a semiconductor substrate of a first conductive type; a gate electrode formed on the semiconductor substrate; a first semiconductor region of a second conductive type different from the first conductive type, the first semiconductor region being formed on the semiconductor substrate in one of both side regions of the gate electrode so as to be adjacent to the gate electrode; a second semiconductor region of the second conductive type formed on the semiconductor substrate in the other region of the both side regions of the gate electrode so as to be adjacent to the gate electrode; a third semiconductor region of the second conductive type formed in the one region so as to be isolated from the first semiconductor region and to be spaced from the second semiconductor region by a greater distance than that between the first and third semiconductor regions; a connecting portion for connecting the first semiconductor region to the third semiconductor region

Abstract: An auto-clear circuit which has a switch device connected between a power supply voltage terminal and first and second nodes, and a potential division device, connected between the first node and a ground terminal, for outputting a first potential obtained by dividing a potential of the first node. Also included is a charge/discharge device, connected between the second node and a ground terminal, for charging or discharging the second node on the basis of the first potential output from the potential division device, and a latch device for holding a potential of the second node to output a signal from an output terminal, and supplying the signal to the switch device to control an opening/closing operation.

Abstract: The present invention provides a feedback control circuit for controlling the operation of an sense amplifier circuit in accordance with the feedback of an output signal to the AND array, for a PLD having an ITD circuit. The feedback control circuit includes a storage element for storing data as to whether or not an output signal is fed back to the AND array, and a read-out circuit for reading out the data of the storage element. With the data read out from the storage element, a pulse signal output from the ITD circuit for detecting a change in the output signal is supplied to the sense amplifier circuit so as to set it in an enable state when the output signal is fed back to the AND array, and the supply of the pulse signal to the sense amplifier circuit is inhibited so as to set it in the disable state when the output signal is not fed back to the AND array.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit of the present invention comprises a memory cell array and sense amplifiers connected to memory cells in the memory cell array through read lines and having a pattern width greater than the pattern width of the memory cells. The sense amplifiers are arranged in a matrix.

Abstract: A potential detecting circuit comprises a first MOS transistor of a first conductivity type whose drain receives an input potential that is equal to or lower, in absolute value, than a second potential whose absolute value is higher than that of a first potential, a second MOS transistor of a second conductivity type whose source is connected to the source of the first transistor and gate receives the first potential, a third MOS transistor of the first conductivity type whose source is connected to the second MOS transistor, source receives a reference potential whose absolute value is lower than that of the first potential, and gate receives the first potential, a detecting potential control block for applying to the first MOS transistor a potential varying in accordance with the input potential, and a potential detect output terminal for providing a detected potential, the potential detect output terminal being a junction between the drains of the second and third MOS transistors.

Abstract: A power supply switching circuit includes first to third MOS transistors (P1, P2 and P3) connected in series between a high-potential source and a standard-potential source. The circuit performs a switching operation using a standard-potential and at least one potential which is different from the standard-poential, and outputs plural power supply potentials. The third MOS transistor (P3) is inserted between the first and second MOS transistors (P1 and P2). The back gate of the third transistor (P3) is connected to an output terminal (OUT1) formed between the second transistor (P2) and the third transistor (P3) and prevents the formation of a current path via turned-off transistor (P1) due to the action of a parasitic diode in the first and second transistors caused by potential fluctuations.