Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device including a power supply circuit which receives an external power supply voltage supplied, and outputs an internal power supply voltage not higher than the external power supply voltage; a system module which receives the internal power supply voltage, and performs a predetermined operation; and a performance monitor circuit which measures a processing speed of said system module when the internal power supply voltage is applied, and, on the basis of the processing speed, outputs a first control signal which requests to set the external power supply voltage at a first level, and a second control signal which requests said power supply circuit to set the internal power supply voltage at a second level. The power supply circuit outputs the internal power supply voltage having the second level on the basis of the second control signal applied thereto.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising: a power supply circuit which receives an external power supply voltage supplied, and outputs an internal power supply voltage not higher than the external power supply voltage; a system module which receives the internal power supply voltage, and performs a predetermined operation; and a performance monitor circuit which measures a processing speed of said system module when the internal power supply voltage is applied, and, on the basis of the processing speed, outputs a first control signal which requests to set the external power supply voltage at a first level, and a second control signal which requests said power supply circuit to set the internal power supply voltage at a second level, wherein said power supply circuit outputs the internal power supply voltage having the second level on the basis of the second control signal applied thereto.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory includes a memory cell including inverters (IN1, IN2), control transistors (T3, T4) that control the potential of a ground side terminal (N3) connected to the memory cell, and transfer transistors T1 and T2 that control transfer of data from bit lines (BL, /BL) to the memory cell. In writing data, the control transistors raise the potential of the ground side terminal (N3) to be higher than the ground potential by a predetermined potential. After the transfer transistors transfer data having a potential difference smaller than a potential difference between the power supply potential and the ground potential from the bit lines (BL, /BL) to the memory cell, and cause the memory cell to hold the data, the potential of the ground side terminal (N3) is decreased to the ground potential to write data.

Abstract: The disclosed semiconductor memory cell can be formed in accordance with the standard process for the logic LSI, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced and an increased node capacitance can be secured.

Abstract: This invention relates to P- and N-well regions where inverters constituting an SRAM cell are formed. The P-well region is divided into two parts, which are laid out on the two sides of the N-well region. Boundaries (BL11, BL12) are formed to run parallel to bit lines (BL, /BL). With this layout, diffusion layers (ND1, ND2) within the P-well regions can be formed into simple shapes free from any bent portion, reducing the cell area.

Abstract: A parallel-to-serial conversion device capable of improved space efficiency has a corner turn memory array provided in an input section of the device to perform parallel-to-serial conversion by writing in the row direction of the input section and by reading out in the column direction of the input section, write section for selectively writing data into a first pair of memory cells of said corner turn memory array; and readout section for simultaneously reading data from a second pair of memory cells which are different from the first pair of memory cells.

Abstract: A first and second barrel shifters (BSA0 and BSA1) are connected directly without intervening any pipe-line register between the two, and a sense amplifier (R3A0) is provided at an output side of the second barrel register (BSA1). Further, the circuit patterns of the first and second barrel shifters are formed being overlapped with each other in such a way that the elements of one of the first and second barrel shifters are formed at the dead space of the other of the two barrel shifters to reduce the pattern area. In the shift circuit and the variable-length decoder, the data lines of the barrel shifters can be minimized in size and width.

Abstract: The coating method contains a spraying step in which a paint is sprayed at least on a coating substrate extending in an upward and downward direction to a film thickness thicker than causing sages of the sprayed paint. The coating substrate on which the paint is sprayed is rotated about the horizontal axis while the sprayed paint is dried until it does not sag any more.The coating apparatus includes a carriage conveying the coating substrate arranged to run along the conveying direction, and the carriage is provided with a supporting base for supporting the coating substrate rotatively about the horizontal axis. One embodiment for rotating the substrate supported by the supporting base is a spring that is disposed on the carriage to rotate the substrate by means of a restoring force produced by the spring. On the passage for conveying the carriage is disposed a force storing mechanism for storing the restoring force in the spring that released the restoring force.

Abstract: A semiconductor device of this invention includes a bipolar transistor and MOS transistors which are formed on the same semiconductor substrate. The bipolar transistor is hetero-bipolar transistor having a hetero junction. The hetero-bipolar transistor is a bipolar transistor of double-hetero structure in which a material used for forming the base region thereof has a band gap narrower than a material used for forming the emitter and collector regions thereof.

Abstract: In input transition detection pulse generators used in semiconductor memory devices, etc., in order to permit a designer to arbitrarily design the power supply voltage dependency of an output pulse width in accordance with use, a scheme is employed such that the functional block for detecting transition of an input or inputs to generate a pulse signal or signals, or the functional block for setting the width of each pulse signal is caused to have a function to generate pulse signals having different power supply voltage dependencies of pulse widths to perform a predetermined logical operation by a logical operation unit on the basis of pulse signals from the input transition detection pulse generation block or the pulse width setting block, thus to output a pulse having a pulse width optimum for a power supply voltage used.

Abstract: A semiconductor device of the present invention includes a bipolar transistor and MOS transistors which are formed on the same semiconductor substrate. The bipolar transistor is heterojunction transistor having a hetero junction. The hetero-bipolar transistor is a bipolar transistor of double-hetero structure in which a material used for forming the base region thereof has a band gap narrower than a material used for forming the emitter and collector regions thereof.

Abstract: Memory cell arranged in a matrix configuration are selected by a particular word line to supply the stored data to particular bit lines. The row address decoder selects a particular word line based on the address signal, while the column address decoder selects particular bit lines based on the address signal. Each of the row address decoder and column address decoder contains a first decoder for decoding the address signal, a delay circuit for delaying the output from the first decoder when data is written into the memory cell, and a second decoder for receiving the output signals from the first decoder and delay circuit and based on these signals, selecting either a particular word line or particular bit lines.

Abstract: A first threshold value for detecting a potential indicating a read state, and a second threshold value for detecting a write state are set in an inverter circuit, to which a read/write signal R/W for setting the state of a memory cell is supplied, by means of a P-channel transistor, an N-channel transistor, and another P-channel transistor which is much smaller in gate width than the above transistors. The first or second threshold value is selected by a logic circuit constituted by an inverter circuit and a delay circuit in accordance with the level of the read/write signal R/W. Therefore, a change from a read state to a write state and a reverse change can be detected at high speed, thus providing a read/write control circuit for a random access memory, which can increase the speed of a read operation immediately after a write operation while ensuring a sufficient data write time, and can shorten the write recovery time.

Abstract: In a Bi-CMOS logic circuit in which a bipolar transistor and a CMOS element are formed on the same semiconductor substrate, a pull-down current of an output circuit is discharged through a MOS transistor having a large transconductance gm and a constant current source having a large current value. Thus, the speed of a pull-down operation is increased. Moreover, a constant current source need not be provided in an output circuit, and the MOS transistor is operated when it is required during a pull-down operation, thereby reducing an extra current. Therefore, a circuit having low power consumption can be obtained.

Abstract: A static memory device comprises a memory cell array having of a plurality of sections, each including a plurality of memory cells. A selection signal for selecting one section is generated in accordance with a data writing or reading operation. First and second potentials of high level are generated, and one of the potentials are selectively supplied to pairs of bit lines in one of the plurality of sections. In a data writing operation, the pairs of bit lines are precharged to the first potential, e.g., the supply voltage V.sub.cc, and in a data reading operation, the pair of bit lines is precharged to the second potential, e.g., V.sub.cc -2V.sub.f, where V.sub.f is a forward voltage of a diode.

Abstract: A semiconductor device capable of performing a failure analysis includes a semiconductor substrate having a plurality of circuit elements, and an identification region provided above the semiconductor substrate so as to record identification information such as position information within wafers, information for wafer numbers, etc. The identification information is given by binary coded patterns, fused patterns of fuse elements, etc.

Abstract: According to this invention, there is provided a semiconductor static data memorizing apparatus including, a first power supply terminal, a second power supply terminal, a first TFT (thin film transistor), the first TFT having a first conductivity type, one terminal connected to the first power supply terminal, and the other terminal connected to a first data storage node for memorizing the second data, a second TFT, the TFT having the first conductivity type, one terminal connected to the first power supply terminal, and the other terminal connected to a second data storage node for memorizing the data, a third TFT, the third TFT having a second conductivity type, one terminal connected to the second power supply terminal, and the other terminal connected to the first data storage node, and a fourth TFT, the fourth TFT having the second conductivity type, one terminal connected to the second power supply terminal, and the other terminal connected to the second data storage node, wherein a gate of the first T

Abstract: SRAM comprises a word line driving circuit selecting a predetermined number of word lines in accordance with an input address at the time of a normal operation, and simultaneously selecting all word lines or word lines, which are more than the number of word lines to be selected at the time of the normal operation, at the time of a voltage stress applying test, and a bit line load circuit applying a predetermined bias voltage to said pair of bit lines at the time of the normal operation, and controlling the bias voltage not to be applied to at least one of said pair of bit lines or applying the bias voltage, which is lower than the bias voltage at the time of the normal operation, at the time of the voltage stress test.

Abstract: The present invention provides a buffer circuit, which comprises a CMOS logic gate circuit in which at least one gate input terminal is input from other circuit, a MOS transistor for controlling a threshold voltage, which is inserted in series into a current path between power source electrodes of the CMOS logic gate circuit including MOS transistors connected to the input terminal, and a control circuit for controlling a gate voltage of the MOS transistor for controlling the threshold voltage such that the logic threshold voltage in the input terminal coincides with a predetermined logic threshold voltage without depending on variation in a power supply voltage, temperature, or a manufacturing process. The logic threshold voltage of the buffer circuit can be maintained constantly without depending on variation in the power supply voltage or temperature.

Abstract: Disclosed here in is a semiconductor integrated circuit comprising a substrate, a memory cell array having a plurality of memory cells arranged in rows and columns, a plurality of word lines, and a plurality of bit lines, and a plurality of word-line drive circuits located near the memory cell array. Each of the word-line drive circuits is a Bi-NMOS circuit which comprises a bipolar transistor for pulling up the potential of the word line and an N-channel MOS transistor for pulling down the potential of the word line. The collector layers of the bipolar transistors are formed of one and the same layer.