Patents by Inventor Koudou Yamauchi

Koudou Yamauchi 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: 7317658
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit has a memory which can enter active state or standby state, and the memory has voltage generation circuits for bit lines and source lines with which memory cells are connected. The voltage generation circuits make the potential of the bit lines and the potential of the source lines equal to each other in response to an instruction to transition from active state to standby state. The voltage generation circuits produce a potential difference between the bit lines and the source lines in response to an instruction to transition from standby state to active state. In standby state, the potential of the bit lines and that of the source lines are equal to each other. Therefore, sub-threshold leakage does not occur between the source and drain of each memory cell. In active state, the source line potential is not varied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignees: Renesas Technology Corp., Hitachi ULSI Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Takazawa, Toshio Yamada, Shinichi Ozawa, Takeo Kanai, Minoru Katoh, Koudou Yamauchi, Toshihiro Araki
  • Patent number: 7154804
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit has a memory which can enter active state or standby state, and the memory has voltage generation circuits for bit lines and source lines with which memory cells are connected. The voltage generation circuits make the potential of the bit lines and the potential of the source lines equal to each other in response to an instruction to transition from active state to standby state. The voltage generation circuits produce a potential difference between the bit lines and the source lines in response to an instruction to transition from standby state to active state. In standby state, the potential of the bit lines and that of the source lines are equal to each other. Therefore, sub-threshold leakage does not occur between the source and drain of each memory cell. In active state, the source line potential is not varied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2006
    Assignees: Renesas Technology Corp., Hitachi ULSI Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Takazawa, Toshio Yamada, Shinichi Ozawa, Takeo Kanai, Minoru Katoh, Koudou Yamauchi, Toshihiro Araki
  • Publication number: 20060187734
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit has a memory which can enter active state or standby state, and the memory has voltage generation circuits for bit lines and source lines with which memory cells are connected. The voltage generation circuits make the potential of the bit lines and the potential of the source lines equal to each other in response to an instruction to transition from active state to standby state. The voltage generation circuits produce a potential difference between the bit lines and the source lines in response to an instruction to transition from standby state to active state. In standby state, the potential of the bit lines and that of the source lines are equal to each other. Therefore, sub-threshold leakage does not occur between the source and drain of each memory cell. In active state, the source line potential is not varied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Inventors: Yoshio Takazawa, Toshio Yamada, Shinichi Ozawa, Takeo Kanai, Minoru Katoh, Koudou Yamauchi, Toshihiro Araki
  • Publication number: 20060164906
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit has a memory which can enter active state or standby state, and the memory has voltage generation circuits for bit lines and source lines with which memory cells are connected. The voltage generation circuits make the potential of the bit lines and the potential of the source lines equal to each other in response to an instruction to transition from active state to standby state. The voltage generation circuits produce a potential difference between the bit lines and the source lines in response to an instruction to transition from standby state to active state. In standby state, the potential of the bit lines and that of the source lines are equal to each other. Therefore, sub-threshold leakage does not occur between the source and drain of each memory cell. In active state, the source line potential is not varied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Publication date: July 27, 2006
    Inventors: Yoshio Takazawa, Toshio Yamada, Shinichi Ozawa, Takeo Kanai, Minoru Katoh, Koudou Yamauchi, Toshihiro Araki
  • Patent number: 7046573
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit has a memory which can enter active state or standby state, and the memory has voltage generation circuits for bit lines and source lines with which memory cells are connected. The voltage generation circuits make the potential of the bit lines and the potential of the source lines equal to each other in response to an instruction to transition from active state to standby state. The voltage generation circuits produce a potential difference between the bit lines and the source lines in response to an instruction to transition from standby state to active state. In standby state, the potential of the bit lines and that of the source lines are equal to each other. Therefore, sub-threshold leakage does not occur between the source and drain of each memory cell. In active state, the source line potential is not varied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignees: Renesas Technology Corp., Hitachi ULSI Systems, Co.,, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Takazawa, Toshio Yamada, Shinichi Ozawa, Takeo Kanai, Minoru Katoh, Koudou Yamauchi, Toshihiro Araki
  • Publication number: 20040151033
    Abstract: Power wastefully consumed in a memory in standby state is reduced without lowering the speed of operation of reading data out of the memory. A semiconductor integrated circuit has a memory which can enter active state or standby state, and the memory has voltage generation circuits for bit lines and source lines with which memory cells are connected. The voltage generation circuits make the potential of the bit lines and the potential of the source lines equal to each other in response to an instruction to transition from active state to standby state. The voltage generation circuits produce a potential difference between the bit lines and the source lines in response to an instruction to transition from standby state to active state. In standby state, the potential of the bit lines and that of the source lines are equal to each other. Therefore, sub-threshold leakage does not occur between the source and drain of each memory cell. In active state, the source line potential is not varied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2003
    Publication date: August 5, 2004
    Applicants: Renesas Technology Corp, Hitachi ULSI Systems Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshio Takazawa, Toshio Yamada, Shinichi Ozawa, Takeo Kanai, Minoru Katoh, Koudou Yamauchi, Toshihiro Araki
  • Patent number: 4879681
    Abstract: A semiconductor memory device includes an input circuit and an output circuit. To prevent the erroneous operation of the input circuit by the noise which develops at the time of the change of the output signal of the output circuit, the threshold voltage of the input circuit is changed, or an internal signal generated by the internal circuit is fixed to a predetermined level. In an output circuit having a tri-state output function, the threshold voltage of the input circuit is changed when the output is brought into the high impedance state, or the internal signal generated by the input circuit is fixed to a predetermined state. Using these arrangements it is possible to prevent the erroneous operation of the input circuit by the noise occurring when the output is brought into the high impedance state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 7, 1989
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi VLSI Engineering Corp.
    Inventors: Hideo Miwa, Kazuhiro Tsuruoka, Koudou Yamauchi, Hitoshi Endoh, Masanori Odaka