Granted Patent B2

US 7,826,264 · App. 11/441,166 · Granted Nov 2, 2010

Abstract

Claims (36)

1. A semiconductor integrated circuit device for driving a display panel, for generating and outputting a drive signal applied to a scan line of the display panel and a drive signal applied to a signal line of the display panel, and formed over a single semiconductor chip, the device comprising:

an electrically programmable nonvolatile memory circuit or an electrically erasable programmable nonvolatile memory circuit,

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit is divided into a first group and a second group,

wherein the first group is configured to store setting information for correcting characteristic variations in a circuit in the semiconductor integrated circuit device, and

wherein the second group is configured to store setting information adapted to characteristics of a display panel driven by the semiconductor integrated circuit device.

2. A semiconductor integrated circuit device on a single semiconductor chip for driving a display panel, and for generating and outputting a drive signal applied to a scan line of the display panel and a drive signal applied to a signal line of the display panel, the device comprising:

an electrically programmable nonvolatile memory circuit or an electrically erasable programmable nonvolatile memory circuit,

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit is divided into a first group and a second group, and

wherein the first group is configured to store initial setting information for correcting characteristic variations in a circuit in the semiconductor integrated circuit.

3. A semiconductor integrated circuit device for driving a liquid crystal display panel, for generating and outputting a drive signal applied to a scan line of the liquid crystal display panel and a drive signal applied to a signal line of the liquid crystal display panel, and formed over a single semiconductor chip, the device comprising:

an electrically programmable nonvolatile memory circuit or an electrically erasable programmable nonvolatile memory circuit,

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit has an element formed by a semiconductor manufacturing process of forming an element of another circuit over the semiconductor chip,

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit is configured to store initial setting information in the semiconductor integrated circuit, and

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit is divided into a plurality of groups, a memory circuit in any one of the groups is configured to write setting information for correcting characteristic variations in a circuit in the semiconductor integrated circuit device, and a memory circuit in the remaining group is configured to write setting information adapted to characteristics of a liquid crystal panel driven by the semiconductor integrated circuit device.

4. A semiconductor integrated circuit device for driving a liquid crystal display panel, for generating and outputting a drive signal applied to a scan line of the liquid crystal display panel and a drive signal applied to a signal line of the liquid crystal display panel, and formed over a single semiconductor chip, the device comprising:

an electrically programmable nonvolatile memory circuit or an electrically erasable programmable nonvolatile memory circuit,

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit has an element formed by a semiconductor manufacturing process of forming an element of another circuit over the semiconductor chip,

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit is configured to store initial setting information in the semiconductor integrated circuit, and

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit is divided into a plurality of groups, a memory circuit in any one of the groups is configured to write setting information to be stored by a manufacturer for manufacturing the semiconductor integrated circuit device, and a memory circuit in the remaining group is configured to write setting information to be stored by the user for manufacturing an apparatus using the semiconductor integrated circuit device.

5. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 3 ,

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit is a nonvolatile memory circuit to which data can be electrically written only once, and

wherein a memory circuit in any one of the groups is set as a single group, the remaining group being further divided into a plurality of sub groups and, at the time of writing, a different sub group is selected each time data is written, thereby enabling rewriting to be performed a plurality of times.

6. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 3 ,

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit is a nonvolatile memory circuit to which data can be electrically written only once, and a power supply voltage terminal to which a high voltage for writing is applied is provided for each of the memory circuit of any one of the groups and a memory circuit of the remaining group.

7. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit is constructed using multiple memory cells storing the same data.

8. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1 ,

wherein each of the nonvolatile memory circuit and the other circuits takes the form of a CMOS circuit including a P-channel-type field effect transistor and an N-channel-type field effect transistor.

9. A semiconductor integrated circuit device for driving a liquid crystal display panel, for generating and outputting a drive signal applied to a scan line of the liquid crystal display panel and a drive signal applied to a signal line of the liquid crystal display panel, and formed over a single semiconductor chip, the device comprising:

an electrically programmable nonvolatile memory circuit or an electrically erasable programmable nonvolatile memory circuit,

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit has an element formed by a semiconductor manufacturing process of forming an element of another circuit over the semiconductor chip, and

wherein the semiconductor chip has a rectangular shape, terminals for outputting the drive signal applied to the scan line and the drive signal applied to the signal line are disposed along periphery in a longitudinal direction of the semiconductor chip, a power supply voltage terminal and an input terminal to which a high voltage for writing of the memory circuit is applied are disposed along another periphery in the longitudinal direction of the semiconductor chip, and the nonvolatile memory circuit is arranged to be adjacent to the power supply voltage terminal.

10. A semiconductor integrated circuit device for driving a liquid crystal display panel, for generating and outputting a drive signal applied to a scan line of the liquid crystal display panel and a drive signal applied to a signal line of the liquid crystal display panel, and formed over a single semiconductor chip, the device comprising:

an electrically programmable nonvolatile memory circuit or an electrically erasable programmable nonvolatile memory circuit,

wherein the nonvolatile memory circuit has an element formed by a semiconductor manufacturing process of forming an element of another circuit over the semiconductor chip, and

wherein the semiconductor chip has a rectangular shape, terminals for outputting the drive signal applied to the scan line and the drive signal applied to the signal line are disposed along periphery in a longitudinal direction of the semiconductor chip, a power supply voltage terminal to which a high voltage for writing of the memory circuit is applied is disposed substantially in a center of another periphery in the longitudinal direction of the semiconductor chip, a control circuit for writing and reading data to and from the nonvolatile memory circuit is disposed substantially in the center of the semiconductor chip, and the nonvolatile memory circuit is disposed adjacent to the control circuit.

Assignments (9)