Voltage control circuit and semiconductor device having the voltage control circuit

1. A voltage control circuit connected to a combination of a decoder circuit and a level conversion circuit connected to the decoder circuit, the voltage control circuit comprising:

a level conversion circuit voltage line applying a voltage to the level conversion circuit; and

a boost voltage connection switching circuit switching a voltage applied to the level conversion circuit voltage line according to an output signal from the decoder circuit,

wherein:

a plurality of sets of the combination of the decoder circuit and the level conversion circuit are prepared; and

the plurality of sets of the combination are divided into groups, each composed of a plurality of the decoder circuits and a plurality of the level conversion circuits, the voltage control circuit being provided for each of the groups, the level conversion circuit voltage line being connected in common to the plurality of level conversion circuits, the voltage control circuit further comprising a logic circuit, the logic circuit receiving outputs from the plurality of decoder circuits, and the voltage applied to the plurality of level conversion circuit being switched by inputting an output of the logic circuit to the boost voltage connection circuit.

2. The voltage control circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the logic circuit is an NOR circuit.

3. The voltage control circuit according to claim 2 , further comprising hold voltage connection switching circuit applying a power supply voltage lower than the boost voltage to the level conversion circuit voltage line when the NOR circuit outputs a high level.

4. A semiconductor circuit comprising:

a decoder circuit receiving a signal to be decoded and outputting a decoded signal, the decoded signal taking one of a selected level and a non-selected level;

a level conversion circuit coupled to receive the decoded signal from the decoder circuit, the level conversion circuit comprising a voltage line to convert the selected level of the decoded signal to a voltage of the voltage line; and

a voltage control circuit coupled to receive the decoded signal from the decoder circuit, the voltage control circuit being further coupled to the voltage line of the level conversion circuit to supply the voltage line of the level conversion circuit with a first voltage when the decoded signal takes the non-selected level and with a second voltage, which is higher than the first voltage, regardless of a level of the first voltage when the decoded signal takes the selected level.

5. The semiconductor circuit as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the voltage control circuit includes a first node supplied with the second voltage and a first switching circuit connected between the first node and the voltage line of the level conversion circuit, the first switching circuit being turned ON when the decoded signal takes the selected level to supply the first voltage from the first node to the voltage line and turned OFF when the decoded signal takes the non-selected level to disconnect the first node from the voltage line.

6. The semiconductor circuit as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the voltage control circuit further includes a second node supplied with the first voltage and a second switching circuit connected between the second node and the voltage line, the second switching circuit being turned ON when the decoded signal takes the non-selected level to supply the first voltage from the second node to the voltage line and turned OFF when the decoded signal takes the non-selected level to disconnect the second node from the voltage line.

7. The semiconductor circuit as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the voltage control circuit further includes an inverter circuit operating on the second voltage and having an input end supplied with the decoded signal and an output end, the first switching circuit including a first transistor of a first conductivity type, the second switching circuit including a second transistor of a second conductivity type, the output end of the inverter circuit being electrically connected to gates of the first and second transistors.

8. A semiconductor circuit comprising:

a plurality of decoder circuits each supplied with a set of signals to be decoded and outputting a decoded signal which takes one of a selected level and a non-selected level,

a plurality of level conversion circuits each provided for an associated one of the decoder circuits to receive the decoded signal therefrom, each of the level conversion circuits including a voltage node and converting the selected level of an associated decoded signal to a voltage at the voltage node, and

a voltage control circuit including a voltage output node coupled in common to the output nodes of the level conversion circuits, the voltage control circuit receiving the decoded signals from the decoder circuits and producing at the voltage output node a first voltage when each of the decoded signals takes the non-selected level and a second voltage, which is higher than the first voltage, whenever any one of the decoded signals takes the selected level.

9. The semiconductor circuit as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising a set of address terminals supplied with address information, the address information being supplied in common to the decoder circuits as the set of signals to be decoded.

10. The semiconductor circuit as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the voltage control circuit further includes a first node supplied with the first voltage, a second node supplied with the second voltage, a first switch connected between the first node and the voltage output node, a second switch connected between the second node and the voltage output node, and a gate circuit receiving the decoded signals from the decoder circuits to turn the first and second switches ON and OFF, respectively, when each of the decoded signals takes the non-selected level and to turn the first and second switches OFF and ON, respectively, whenever any one of the decoded signals takes the selected level.

11. The semiconductor circuit as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the gate circuit comprises an NOR gate circuit, the NOR gate circuit operating on the second voltage and output of the NOR gate circuit being electrically connected to a control electrode of each of the first and second switches.