Patents by Inventor Toshihiro Kohgami

Toshihiro Kohgami 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: 7280328
    Abstract: An inventive semiconductor integrated circuit device includes: an external connection terminal 1; an electrostatic discharge protection circuit 2; an output circuit 3; an output prebuffer circuit 4; an input prebuffer circuit 5; an internal circuit 41; an inter-power supply electrostatic discharge protection circuit 6; and a gate voltage control circuit 7. The gate voltage control circuit 7 has a capacitor 25 and a resistor 26, and the inter-power supply electrostatic discharge protection circuit 6 has an NMIS transistor 24. When a positive surge is applied to the external connection terminal 1, the gate potential of the NMIS transistor 24 is also increased. Thus, the NMIS transistor 24 is turned on, and the positive electrical charge supplied to the external connection terminal 1 is discharged toward a ground line 23.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuya Arai, Toshihiro Kohgami, Shiro Usami, Hiroaki Yabu
  • Publication number: 20050018370
    Abstract: An inventive semiconductor integrated circuit device includes: an external connection terminal 1; an electrostatic discharge protection circuit 2; an output circuit 3; an output prebuffer circuit 4; an input prebuffer circuit 5; an internal circuit 41; an inter-power supply electrostatic discharge protection circuit 6; and a gate voltage control circuit 7. The gate voltage control circuit 7 has a capacitor 25 and a resistor 26, and the inter-power supply electrostatic discharge protection circuit 6 has an NMIS transistor 24. When a positive surge is applied to the external connection terminal 1, the gate potential of the NMIS transistor 24 is also increased. Thus, the NMIS transistor 24 is turned on, and the positive electrical charge supplied to the external connection terminal 1 is discharged toward a ground line 23.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2004
    Publication date: January 27, 2005
    Inventors: Katsuya Arai, Toshihiro Kohgami, Shiro Usami, Hiroaki Yabu
  • Patent number: 6801417
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes an external connection pad, an electrostatic discharge protection circuit, an output circuit, an output pre-buffer circuit and an internal circuit, and is configured so that the output circuit is protected by the electrostatic discharge protection circuit from a surge entering through the external connection pad. A substrate-potential-fixing PMIS transistor whose gate is connected to the external connection pad is provided between an n-type substrate region (n well) and a power supply line. When a positive charge is applied to the external connection pad in an ESD test, the substrate-potential-fixing PMIS transistor is turned OFF, thereby suppressing an increase in the potential of the power supply line and suppressing a decrease in the surge withstand voltage of the output circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuya Arai, Toshihiro Kohgami
  • Patent number: 6774438
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes an external connection pad, an electrostatic discharge protection circuit, an output circuit, an output pre-buffer circuit, an output-signal-fixing circuit and an internal circuit. The output-signal-fixing circuit includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor and fixes an output signal from a second pre-buffer circuit at an “L” level (low voltage) even when an output from the internal circuit is in a floating state. During an ESD test, since an output signal from the second pre-buffer circuit is fixed at an “L” level (low voltage) by the output-signal-fixing circuit, the NMIS transistor is in an OFF state. In this manner, a surge current is prevented from flowing locally into the NMIS transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2004
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuya Arai, Toshihiro Kohgami, Shiro Usami
  • Publication number: 20030071311
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes an external connection pad, an electrostatic discharge protection circuit, an output circuit, an output pre-buffer circuit, an output-signal-fixing circuit and an internal circuit. The output-signal-fixing circuit includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor and fixes an output signal from a second pre-buffer circuit at an “L” level (low voltage) even when an output from the internal circuit is in a floating state. During an ESD test, since an output signal from the second pre-buffer circuit is fixed at an “L” level (low voltage) by the output-signal-fixing circuit, the NMIS transistor is in an OFF state. In this manner, a surge current is prevented from flowing locally into the NMIS transistor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2002
    Publication date: April 17, 2003
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsuya Arai, Toshihiro Kohgami, Shiro Usami
  • Publication number: 20030016480
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes an external connection pad, an electrostatic discharge protection circuit, an output circuit, an output pre-buffer circuit and an internal circuit, and is configured so that the output circuit is protected by the electrostatic discharge protection circuit from a surge entering through the external connection pad. A substrate-potential-fixing PMIS transistor whose gate is connected to the external connection pad is provided between an n-type substrate region (n well) and a power supply line. When a positive charge is applied to the external connection pad in an ESD test, the substrate-potential-fixing PMIS transistor is turned OFF, thereby suppressing an increase in the potential of the power supply line and suppressing a decrease in the surge withstand voltage of the output circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2002
    Publication date: January 23, 2003
    Applicant: MATSUSHITA ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Katsuya Arai, Toshihiro Kohgami