IP Library Granted Patent US 6,998,674
Granted Patent B2
US 6,998,674 · App. 11/104,488 · Granted Feb 14, 2006

Semiconductor integrated circuit device with reduced leakage current

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,998,674
App. No.
11/104,488
Granted
Feb 14, 2006
Kind
B2
Abstract

The gate tunnel leakage current is increased in the up-to-date process, so that it is necessary to reduce the gate tunnel leakage current in the LSI which is driven by a battery for use in a cellular phone and which needs to be in a standby mode at a low leakage current. In a semiconductor integrated circuit device, the ground source electrode lines of logic and memory circuits are kept at a ground potential in an active mode, and are kept at a voltage higher than the ground potential in an unselected standby mode. The gate tunnel leakage current can be reduced without destroying data.

Claims (16)

1. A semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising:

a plurality of static type memory cells respectively having a pair of load P-channel transistor and a driver N-channel transistor, an insulating layer for use in a gate of either of the load P-channel transistor or the driver N-channel transistor has a thickness of 4 nm or less;

a power line being connected to source electrodes of each of the load P-channel transistors, through which power is supplied to each of the load P-channel transistors; and

a source line being connected to source electrodes of each of the driver N-channel transistors;

wherein a voltage difference between a voltage on the power line and another voltage on the source line is controlled to be set at a first value in an operating mode with a first current flowing from the load P-channel transistor to ground through the driver N-channel transistor, and wherein the voltage difference is further controlled to be set at a second value lower than the first value in a standby mode with another current at least one digit less than the first current.

2. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of memory cells are selected to perform read or write data in the operating mode.

3. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1 wherein the operating mode and the standby mode are switched on a selecting signal.

4. A semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising:

a plurality of static type memory cells respectively having a pair of load P-channel transistor and a driver N-channel transistor, an insulating layer for use in a gate of either of the load P-channel transistor or the driver N-channel transistor has a thickness of 4 nm or less;

a power line being connected to source electrodes of each of the load P-channel transistors, through which power is supplied to each of the load P-channel transistors; and

a source line being connected to source electrodes of each of the driver N-channel transistors;

wherein a voltage of the power line is controlled to be set at a first potential value in both an operating mode with a first current flowing from the load P-channel transistor to ground through the driver N-channel transistor and a standby mode with another current at least one digit less than the first current;

wherein a voltage of the source line is controlled to be set at a second potential value higher than the first potential value in the operating mode, and set at a third potential value higher than the second potential value in the standby mode; and

wherein a substrate voltage of the drive N-channel transistor is controlled to be set at the second value in both the operating mode and the standby mode.

5. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of memory cells are selected to perform read or write data in the operating mode.

6. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 4 , wherein the operating mode and the standby mode are switched on a selecting signal.

Assignments (5)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS Recorded Nov 29, 2017
From: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 044928/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 9, 2012
From: HITACHI ULSI SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 027607/0555 →
MERGER Recorded May 11, 2011
From: RENESAS TECHNOLOGY CORP.
To: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 026326/0102 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 10, 2011
From: HITACHI, LTD.
To: RENESAS TECHNOLOGY CORP.
Reel/Frame 026282/0585 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 13, 2005
From: OSADA, KENICHI; ISHIBASHI, KOICHIRO; SAITOH, YOSHIKAZU; NISHIDA, AKIO; NAKAMICHI, MASARU; KITAI, NAOKI
To: HITACHI, LTD.; HITACHI ULSI SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 016473/0769 →