Abstract: An inverter circuit includes: first and second transistors connected between first and second voltage lines; a fifth transistor having a drain connected to a fifth voltage line and a source connected to a gate of the second transistor; a first capacitive element between a gate and the source of the fifth transistor; a second capacitive element between a first input terminal and the source of the fifth transistor; and the third capacitive element between a second input terminal and the source of the fifth transistor. A first pulse signal into the first input terminal has a phase advanced more than a second pulse signal into the second input terminal. The second pulse signal is switched while the gate of the fifth transistor and the first voltage line are connected. The first pulse signal is switched while the gate of the fifth transistor and the first voltage line are unconnected.

Abstract: Techniques for employing multi-gate field effect transistors (FETS) in logic circuits formed from logic gates are provided. Double-gate transistors that conduct only when both transistor gates are active can be used to reduce the number of devices hitherto required in series or “stacked” portions of logic gates. Circuit area can be reduced and performance can be enhanced.

Abstract: A complementary logic circuit contains a first logic input, a second logic input, a first dedicated logic terminal, a second dedicated logic terminal, a high-voltage terminal configured for connection to a high constant voltage a low-voltage terminal configured for connection to a low constant voltage, a p-type transistor, and an n-type transistor. The p-type transistor has an outer diffusion connection, a gate connection, an inner diffusion connection, and a bulk connection. The n-type transistor has an outer diffusion connection, a gate connection, an inner diffusion connection, and a bulk connection.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes: a first inverter constituted by a first transistor configured to charge a charge point based on an input signal, and a second transistor configured to discharge a discharge point based on the input signal; a P-type third transistor and an N-type fourth transistor with drain-source paths provided in parallel between the charge point and the discharge point; and a second inverter configured to invert a potential of the charge point or the discharge point and supply the inverted potential to gates of the third and fourth transistors, and obtain a delay signal of the input signal from the charge point or the discharge point. The semiconductor integrated circuit device secures a sufficient delay time with a small area.

Abstract: Each of a plurality of inverters includes: a first transistor having one end connected to a first terminal; and a second transistor having one end connected to a second terminal and the other end connected to the other end of the first transistor. The first transistors included in the inverters located at either odd-number orders or even-number orders counted from an input terminal side of an inverter chain circuit become conductive when a pre-charge signal has a first state to pre-charge the other end of the first transistors, and become non-conductive when the pre-charge signal has a second state. The first transistors other than the pre-charge transistors become non-conductive when the pre-charge signal has the first state and become conductive when the pre-charge signal has the second state.

Abstract: Logic Gate (100), particularly for integrated circuits including a Boolean network (105) having at least an input (106) and having at least an output node (107) and at least a terminal (108) connected to a first node at fixed potential (109) corresponding to a first logical level of the gate. The gate is characterized by the fact that the output node (107) is connected to a first pair of switches including a first switch (101) and a second switch (102), which are activated alternately, and are connected respectively, by a respective terminal, to the first node (109) at fixed potential and to the output node (107). Between the two switches there is a second pair of switches (103, 104) connected to a second node at fixed potential (110) corresponding to a second logical level of the gate.

Abstract: Improvements in Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) devices; in particular, field effect transistors (FETs) and devices using said transistors which are able to take advantage of the higher carrier mobility of electrons compared to holes by replacing the conventional p-channel transistor with an n-channel transistor having a double gate (or vice versa): Such a Unipolar CMOS (U-CMOS) transistor can be realised by adapting the source and/or the drain such that when the body region undergoes inversion at a first surface current, is able to flow between the drain and the source and when the body region undergoes inversion at a second surface current is not able to flow between the drain and the source. Various logic gates may be constructed using U-CMOS transistors.

Abstract: A layout design method in accordance with an exemplary aspect of the present invention is a layout design method for a clock tree circuit, including disposing a first clock distribution circuit in a clock tree circuit, wiring the clock tree circuit in which the first clock distribution circuit is disposed, verifying timing of the wired clock tree circuit, and replacing the first distribution element by a second clock distribution circuit based on a result of the timing verification, the second clock distribution circuit having roughly a same input load capacitance as the first clock distribution circuit and a different delay value from the first clock distribution circuit.

Abstract: Provided are an inverter, a method of manufacturing the inverter, and a logic circuit including the inverter. The inverter may include a first transistor and a second transistor having different channel layer structures. A channel layer of the first transistor may include a lower layer and an upper layer, and a channel layer of the second transistor may be the same as one of the lower layer and the upper layer. At least one of the lower layer and the upper layer may be an oxide layer. The inverter may be an enhancement/depletion (E/D) mode inverter or a complementary inverter.

Abstract: An NAND circuit has a stacked structure having at least one symmetric NFET at a bottom of the stack. More particularly, the circuit has a stacked structure which includes an asymmetric FET and a symmetric FET. The symmetric FET is placed at the bottom of the stacked structure closer to ground than the asymmetric FET.

Abstract: A power gating circuit includes a logic circuit, a switching element and a retention flip-flop. The logic circuit is coupled between a first power rail and a virtual power rail. The switching element selectively couples the virtual power rail to a second power rail in response to a mode control signal indicating an active mode or a standby mode. The retention flip-flop selectively performs a flip-flop operation or a data retention operation in response to a voltage of the virtual power rail.

Abstract: A dynamic domino circuit includes a clock generator and a domino circuit. The clock generator generates a pulse signal and a plurality of internal clock signals based on a global clock signal. Phases of the plurality of internal clock signals are sequentially delayed. The domino circuit sequentially performs a plurality of logic operations based on a plurality of input signals, the pulse signal and the plurality of internal clock signals and generates an output signal in synchronization with the pulse signal. The dynamic domino circuit may provide an effective interface with static logics.

Abstract: A clock buffer circuit of a semiconductor device is disclosed which receives an external clock signal and generates an internal clock signal with no duty distortion. The clock buffer circuit includes a first clock buffer for receiving and buffering a normal-phase clock signal, a second clock buffer for receiving and buffering a reverse-phase clock signal, and an internal clock generator for generating an internal clock signal in response to output signals from the first and second clock buffers.

Abstract: An output circuit of a semiconductor device includes a signal selector configured to receive first and second input data signals and sequentially outputting the first and second input data signals in response to a phase signal; and an output level controller configured to control a voltage level of an output signal of the signal selector based on the first and second input data signals.

Abstract: An inverter device includes at least a first transistor connected between a power source node and ground. The first transistor includes a first gate and a first terminal that are internally capacitive-coupled to control a boost voltage at a boost node. The first terminal is one of a first source and a first drain of the first transistor.

Abstract: Circuits for forming the inputs of a latch are provided. In some embodiments, circuits for forming inputs of a latch comprise: a first transistor having a first gate terminal, a first drain terminal, a first source terminal, a first gate length, and a first common mode level at the first gate terminal, wherein the first gate terminal provides a data input to the latch; and a second transistor having a second gate terminal, a second drain terminal, a second source terminal, a second gate length, and a second common mode level at the second gate terminal, wherein the second gate terminal provides a clock input to the latch, the second drain terminal is coupled to the first source terminal, and the first gate length and the second gate length are sized so that the first common model level and the second common mode level are substantially equal.

Abstract: It is disclosed a combinatorial logic circuit comprising a first logic block (B1) coupled to a supply terminal (VDD) via a first resistor means (RI) and via a second resistor means (R2) for receiving respective first and second supply currents (111, 112). The circuit further comprises a second logic block (B2) coupled to the supply terminal (VDD) via the first resistor means (R1) and via the second resistor means (R2) for receiving respective third and fourth supply currents (122, 121). A first output terminal (Q?) coupled to the first block (B1) and to the first resistor means (R1). A second output terminal (Q+) coupled to the second logic block (B2) and to the second resistor means (R2). A first current source (I0) coupled to at least one of the first output terminal (Q?) and/or second output terminal (Q+) for providing a first supply current (I1) through the first resistor means (R1), which is substantially equal to a second supply current (I2) through the second resistor means (R2).

Abstract: The invention provides a low cost and high performance functional circuit by reducing time required for the repetition of logic synthesis and routing of layout in a functional circuit design. A standard cell used for the logic synthesis and the routing of layout is configured by a logic circuit on an output side and a logic circuit on an input side and a driving capacity of the logic circuit on the output side is made large while gate input capacitance of the logic circuit on the input side is made small. By forming the standard cell in this manner, a ratio that the gate delay occupies in the delay time of a functional circuit can be relatively increased. Therefore, even when wiring capacitance after the routing of layout is not estimated at high precision in advance, an operating frequency can be obtained at high precision in the logic synthesis as long as a gate delay of each standard cell can be estimated at high precision.

Abstract: A nonvolatile programmable logic circuit using a ferroelectric memory performs a nonvolatile memory function and an operation function without additional memory devices, thereby reducing power consumption. Also, a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory is applied to a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), thereby preventing leakage of internal data and reducing the area of a chip.

Abstract: Circuits using four terminal transistors are disclosed. Such circuits can include various static and dynamic logic circuits, flip-flops, multiplexer, tri-state driver, phase detector, logic having variable speeds of operation, and/or analog circuit with such four terminal transistors operating in a linear or nonlinear mode.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes: a first inverter constituted by a first transistor configured to charge a charge point based on an input signal, and a second transistor configured to discharge a discharge point based on the input signal; a P-type third transistor and an N-type fourth transistor with drain-source paths provided in parallel between the charge point and the discharge point; and a second inverter configured to invert a potential of the charge point or the discharge point and supply the inverted potential to gates of the third and fourth transistors, and obtain a delay signal of the input signal from the charge point or the discharge point. The semiconductor integrated circuit device secures a sufficient delay time with a small area.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a leakage reduction circuit is provided that includes: a virtual power supply node; a first PMOS transistor coupled between the virtual power supply node and a power supply node; a second PMOS transistor having a source coupled to the power supply node; and a native NMOS transistor coupled between a drain of the second PMOS transistor and the virtual power supply node, the native NMOS transistor having a gate driven by the power supply node.

Abstract: A logical building block and method of using the building block to design a logic cell library for CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Silicon) ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) is disclosed. Different logic gates, built with the same building block as described in this invention, will have the same schematics of transistor connection and also the same physical layout so that they appear to be physically identical under optical or electron microscopy. An ASIC designed from a library of such logic cells is strongly resistant to a reverse engineering attempt.

Abstract: Provided is a logic gate device capable of performing multiple logic operations by using a single logic gate circuit. The multi-functional logic gate device includes a pull-up switching unit having input switches of a first group being respectively connected to multiple input terminals and selection switches of the first group connected to either a selection terminal or a logically inverted selection terminal, the pull-up switching unit electrically connecting the input switches of the first group in series or in parallel between a power source and an output terminal according to logic levels of the selection terminal and the inverted selection terminal.

Abstract: An integrated circuit comparator is provided that determines non-strict inequalities between operands applied thereto. Each comparator includes at least one n-bit comparator cell. This comparator cell is configured to determine a non-strict inequality between a first n-bit operand (e.g., A[n?1, . . . , 0]) and a second n-bit operand (e.g., B[n?1, . . . , 0]). The comparator cell determines the non-strict inequality by computing a control output signal Co (or its complement), where: C o = ( … ? ( ( C i ? ( A 0 + B 0 _ ) + A 0 ? B 0 _ ) ? ( A 1 + B 1 _ ) + A 1 ? B 1 _ ) ? … ? ( A n - 2 + B n - 2 _ ) + A n - 2 ? B n - 2 _ ) ? ( A n - 1 + B n - 1 _ ) + A n - 1 ? B n - 1 _ , “n” is a positive integer greater than one and Ci is a control input signal that specifies an interpretation to be given to the control output signal Co.

Abstract: A system includes a first CML buffer configured to receive a first bias signal and a first CML signal of a first CML logic family. The first CML buffer produces a second CML signal of the first CML logic family based on the first CML signal and the first bias signal. A first coupling capacitor module couples to the first CML buffer. The first coupling capacitor module receives the second CML signal and produces a third CML signal based on the second CML signal. A second CML buffer couples to the coupling capacitor module and receives a second bias signal and the third CML signal, producing a fourth CML signal of a second CML logic family. A feedback module couples to the second CML buffer and receives the fourth CML signal producing a fifth CML signal. The second CML buffer is produces the fourth CML signal based on the second bias signal, the third CML signal, and the fifth CML signal.

Abstract: Provided are an inverter, a method of manufacturing the inverter, and a logic circuit including the inverter. The inverter may include a first transistor and a second transistor having different channel layer structures. A channel layer of the first transistor may include a lower layer and an upper layer, and a channel layer of the second transistor may be the same as one of the lower layer and the upper layer. At least one of the lower layer and the upper layer may be an oxide layer. The inverter may be an enhancement/depletion (E/D) mode inverter or a complementary inverter.

Abstract: Logic Gate (100), particularly for integrated circuits including a Boolean network (105) having at least an input (106) and having at least an output node (107) and at least a terminal (108) connected to a first node at fixed potential (109) corresponding to a first logical level of the gate. The gate is characterized by the fact that the output node (107) is connected to a first pair of switches including a first switch (101) and a second switch (102), which are activated alternately, and are connected respectively, by a respective terminal, to the first node (109) at fixed potential and to the output node (107). Between the two switches there is a second pair of switches (103, 104) connected to a second node at fixed potential (110) corresponding to a second logical level of the gate.

Abstract: A semiconductor device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an output stage circuit including a first conductive type first transistor and a second conductive type second transistor, the first conductive type first transistor being connected between a first power supply terminal and an output terminal, the second conductive type second transistor being connected between a second power supply terminal and the output terminal and having a leak current larger than that of the first transistor, and an input stage circuit outputting a logic value setting the first transistor to a non-conductive state and setting the second transistor to a conductive state in accordance with a logic circuit disable signal input when the output stage circuit is in a disable state.

Abstract: A logic circuit includes first, second, third and fourth transistors. The first transistor is a first type, and has a gate terminal for receiving a control signal representative of one of NAND and NOR operations of at least first and second signals, a first terminal coupled to a first power source, and a second terminal serving as an output terminal of the logic circuit. The second transistor is a second type, and has a first terminal for receiving a third signal, and gate and second terminals respectively coupled to the gate and second terminals of the first transistor. Each of the third and fourth transistors is the first type and has a gate terminal. The gate terminals of the third and fourth transistors are respectively adapted to receive the first and second signals. The series-connected third and fourth transistors are connected in parallel to the second transistor.

Abstract: The invention provides a low cost and high performance functional circuit by reducing time required for the repetition of logic synthesis and routing of layout in a functional circuit design. A standard cell used for the logic synthesis and the routing of layout is configured by a logic circuit on an output side and a logic circuit on an input side and a driving capacity of the logic circuit on the output side is made large while gate input capacitance of the logic circuit on the input side is made small. By forming the standard cell in this manner, a ratio that the gate delay occupies in the delay time of a functional circuit can be relatively increased. Therefore, even when wiring capacitance after the routing of layout is not estimated at high precision in advance, an operating frequency can be obtained at high precision in the logic synthesis as long as a gate delay of each standard cell can be estimated at high precision.

Abstract: A cascaded pass-gate test circuit including interposed split-output drive devices provides accurate measurement of critical timing parameters of pass gates. The rise time and fall time of signals passed through the pass gate can be separately measured in a ring oscillator or one-shot delay line configuration. Inverters or other buffer circuits are provided as drive devices to couple the pass gates in cascade. The final complementary tree in each drive device is split so that the only one of the output pull-down transistor or pull-up transistor is connected to the next pass gate input, while the other transistor is connected to the output of the pass gate. The result is that the state transition associated with the device connected to the pass gate input is dominant in the delay, while the other state transition is propagated directly to the output of the pass gate, bypassing the pass gate.

Abstract: A low to high voltage conversion output driver. The low to high voltage conversion output driver has an output coupled to a first fixed voltage via a load device and comprises a current source, a low voltage transistor, and a high voltage transistor. The current source has one end coupled to a second fixed voltage. The low voltage transistor has a first terminal coupled to the other end of the current source, a second terminal receiving a low voltage data signal, and a third terminal. The high voltage transistor has a first terminal coupled to the third terminal of the low voltage transistor, a second terminal coupled to a bias source, and a third terminal coupled to the output.

Abstract: An output CMOS buffer includes MOS enhancement transistors and has a second complementary pair of natural or low threshold transistors, connected respectively in parallel to transistors of opposite type of conductivity of the complementary pair of enhancement MOS transistors of the final buffer stage. The gate terminals of the pair of natural or low threshold transistors are controlled by respective inverters, each supplied through a slew rate limiter of the slope of the driving current and are respectively connected between the positive supply node of the output buffer and a negative (below ground potential) node and between the common ground node of the output buffer and a positive supply node. The negative voltage and the positive voltage on the nodes are at least equal to the absolute value of the threshold voltage of the natural or low threshold transistors.

Abstract: A nonvolatile programmable logic circuit using a ferroelectric memory performs a nonvolatile memory function and an operation function without additional memory devices, thereby reducing power consumption. Also, a nonvolatile ferroelectric memory is applied to a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), thereby preventing leakage of internal data and reducing the area of a chip.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit device is composed of logic gates each provided with at least two MOS transistors. The logic gates are connected to a first potential point and a second potential point. The semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a current control device connected between the logic gate and the first potential point and/or between the logic gate and the second potential point for controlling a value of a current flowing in the logic gate depending on an operating state of the logic gate. The circuit can be used in devices that cycle in operation between high and low power consumption modes, such as microprocessors that have both an operation mode and a low power back-up or sleep mode used for power reduction.

Abstract: A logic gate comprises a first switch, a second switch, a data network and a keeping circuitry. The first switch is adapted to connect a logic node to a first potential responsive to a transition of an enabling signal. The second switch is adapted to connect the logic node to a second potential via an electrical path responsive to a transition of the enabling signal. The data network is serially connected within the electrical path. The keeping circuitry comprises third and fourth switches serially connected between the logic node and the first potential and being controllable separately from each other, the third switch being adapted to be closed in case a potential on the logic node assumes the first potential and to be opened in case the potential on the logic node assumes the second potential.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of leakage control for a memory having an array of memory cells arranged into a plurality of sub-arrays is provided wherein each sub-array has a sleep mode of operation controlled by a sleep signal in which stored data is lost, and wherein each sub-array asserts a local clock if the sub-array is addressed. The method includes the act of asserting a sleep signal while addressing a given one of the sub-arrays such that only the given one of the sub-arrays is placed into the sleep mode.

Abstract: In a dynamic flip-flop circuit with a data selection function, for example, when data having an H value is selected using a selection signal, a first node N1 is L, a second node N2 of a second dynamic circuit is H, so that an output signal has an H level. In this case, when none of a plurality of pieces of data is selected using a selection signal, the first node N1 is H, so that the electric charge of the second node N2 is discharged and the output signal erroneously has an L level. However, in this case, an output node N3 is H and a fourth node N4 is L, so that an n-type transistor of the second dynamic circuit is turned OFF, thereby preventing the second node N2 from being discharged. Therefore, a normal operation is performed while securing a satisfactorily high-speed operation even when none of the pieces of data is selected.

Abstract: In a circuit to convert a first logic signal having a first range to a second logic signal having a second range, a first metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor selectively couples an output node to a first reference voltage when the output node is to be in a first state. A source-follower circuit includes a current source and a source follower output, and the source follower output is coupled to the output node. A second MOS transistor selectively couples the source-follower circuit to a second reference voltage when the output node is to be in the second state.

Abstract: Provided are an inverter, a method of operating the inverter, and a logic circuit including the inverter. The inverter may include a load transistor and a driving transistor, and at least one of the load transistor and the driving transistor may have a double gate structure. A threshold voltage of the load transistor or the driving transistor may be adjusted by the double gate structure, and accordingly, the inverter may be an enhancement/depletion (E/D) mode inverter.

Abstract: A circuit topography is presented which is used to create usable digital logic gates using N (negatively doped) channel Junction Field Effect Transistors (JFETs) and load resistors, level shifting resistors, and supply rails whose values are based on the direct current (DC) parametric distributions of those JFETs. This method has direct application to the current state of the art in high temperature, for example 300° C. to 500° C. and higher, silicon carbide (SiC) device production. The ability to produce inverting and combinatorial logic enables the production of pulse and edge triggered latches. This scale of logic synthesis would bring digital logic and state machine capabilities to devices operating in extremely hot environments, such as the surface of Venus, near hydrothermal vents, within nuclear reactors (SiC is inherently radiation hardened), and within internal combustion engines.

Abstract: A dynamic circuit latch, having the functionality of a domino circuit and a transparent latch, without the delay associated with the inclusion of a separate series latch element. Embodiments include a fast scannable footed Domino dyanmic latch. Also described is a fast scannable delay reset Domino dynamic latch. A fast scannable compound Domino dynamic latch is also described.

Abstract: The logic gate of the present invention is of a configuration that includes a first transistor, a second transistor, and a connection-switching unit. The first transistor receives a first voltage at its source, a first input signal at its gate, and supplies a first output signal from its drain. The second transistor receives a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage at its source, receives a second input signal at its gate, and supplies a second output signal from its drain. The connection-switching unit is connected between the drains of the first transistor and the second transistor for connecting and cutting off the first transistor and the second transistor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a field effect transistor comprising at least one source electrode layer and at least one drain electrode layer arranged in the same plane, a semiconductor layer, an insulator layer and a gate electrode layer, wherein the gate electrode layer, as seen perpendicular to the plane of the at least one source electrode layer and the at least one drain electrode layer, only partly covers a channel arranged between the at least one source electrode layer and the at least one drain electrode layer.

Abstract: In a level conversion circuit, two P channel MOS transistors form a current mirror circuit. When an input signal rises from the “L” level to the “H” level, an N channel MOS transistor connected to a drain of one P channel MOS transistor is brought out of conduction to prevent a leak current from flowing through two P channel MOS transistors, which decreases a power consumption. In addition, when the input signal rises from the “L” level to the “H” level, a P channel MOS transistor connected to a drain of the other P channel MOS transistor is brought into conduction to fix a potential of a node of the drain of the other P channel MOS transistor to the “H” level, which prevents the potential of the node from becoming unstable.

Abstract: A complementary signal generating circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: an inverting element inverting a first signal to generate a second signal; a first transistor connecting a first power supply potential and a first output terminal electrically in accordance with the first signal; a second transistor connecting the first output terminal and a second power supply potential electrically in accordance with the second signal; a third transistor connecting the first power supply potential and a second output terminal electrically in accordance with the second signal; and a fourth transistor connecting the second output terminal and the second power supply potential electrically in accordance with the first signal.

Abstract: An inverter circuit for generating an output signal at an output node obtained by inverting an input signal level at an input node includes a common-source MOS transistor having a gate node connected to the input node, a source connected to a predetermined voltage-and a substrate gate, a load resistor connected in series with the MOS transistor, and a resistor connected between the gate node and the substrate gate of the MOS transistor.

Abstract: The invention includes an error correcting logic system that allows critical circuits to be hardened with only one redundant unit and without loss of circuit performance. The system provides an interconnecting gate that suppresses a fault in one of at least two redundant dynamic logic gates that feed to the interconnecting gate. The system is applicable to dynamic or static logic systems. The system prevents propagation of a fault, and addresses not only soft errors, but noise-induced errors. Also, there is provided a design structure embodied in a machine readable medium used in a design process, and which includes such error correcting logic system.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a CMOS controlled inverter consisting of series-connected PMOS and NMOS transistors. The source of the NMOS transistor is coupled to a ground line through an additional NMOS transistor for power gating of voltage VSS. The source of the PMOS transistor can be coupled to a power supply line through an additional PMOS transistor for power gating of voltage VDD. The inverter receives an input signal IN and its complementary version that has transitioned earlier than the input signal. In response to the input signal, the inverter produces an output signal. A NAND gate that receives the output signal and the complementary input signal controls the power gating NMOS transistor. A NOR gate that receives the output signal and the complementary input signal controls the power gating PMOS transistor.