Semiconductor device and IC card including supply voltage wiring lines formed in different areas and having different shapes
View Patent ↗Wiring lines for the supply of a voltage to feed a drive voltage to an integrated circuit formed in a semiconductor chip are disposed so as to cover a main surface of the semiconductor chip, so that, if the wiring lines are removed for the purpose of analyzing information stored in the semiconductor chip, the integrated circuit does not operates and it is impossible to analyze the information. Further, there is provided a processing detector circuit for detecting that the wiring lines have been tampered with. When the processing detector circuit detects a change in the sate of the wiring lines, the integrated circuit is reset. Thus, it is possible to improve the security of information stored on the card.
1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a first area disposed over a semiconductor substrate and divided into a plurality of second areas; first elements disposed in the second areas, formed in the semiconductor substrate and configured to store information;
second elements disposed in the second areas, formed in the semiconductor substrate;
a signal line formed in the first area and formed over the first and second elements; and
wiring lines for supply voltage contributing to the actuation of the first and second elements, the wiring lines for supply voltage being disposed respectively in the plural second areas in a layer which overlies the signal line, wherein said wiring lines are formed so as to be different in shape from one another,
wherein each of the wiring lines for supply voltage is electrically connected to a detector circuit, which is configured to be used for detection of tampering with the wiring lines for supply voltage and which is comprised of the second elements,
wherein planar positional relationships between the wiring lines for the supply voltage and the detector circuits electrically connected thereto are arranged so as to be irregular, and
wherein the first and second elements are MISFETs, respectively.
2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the wiring lines for supply voltage comprise a wiring line for supply voltage on a high potential side which supplies a relatively high supply voltage and a wiring line for supply voltage on a low potential side which supplies a relatively low supply voltage, and
wherein the wiring line for supply voltage on a high potential side and the wiring line for supply voltage on a low potential side are planarly deviated from each other in such a manner that one is interposed in gaps formed in the other and the other is interposed in gaps formed in the one.
3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the wiring lines for supply voltage comprise a wiring line for supply voltage on a high potential side which supplies a relatively high supply voltage and a wiring line for supply voltage on a low potential side which supplies a relatively low supply voltage, and
wherein the wiring line for supply voltage on a high potential side and the wiring line for supply voltage on a low potential side are formed in the shape of comb teeth and arranged planarly so that the respective teeth are in mesh with each other.
4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the wiring lines for supply voltage comprise a wiring line for supply voltage on a high potential side which supplies a relatively high supply voltage and a wiring line on a low potential side which supplies a relatively low supply voltage, and
wherein the wiring line for supply voltage on a high potential side and the wiring line for supply voltage on a low potential side are formed in a lattice shape and arranged planarly so that one is interposed in gaps formed in the other and the other is interposed in gaps formed in the one.
5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the wiring lines for supply voltage comprise a wiring line for supply voltage on a high potential side which supplies a relatively high supply voltage and a wiring line for supply voltage on a low potential side which supplies a relatively low supply voltage, and
wherein the wiring line for supply voltage on the high potential side and the wiring line for supply voltage on the low potential side are solid wiring lines.
6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the wiring lines for supply voltage has a plurality of the detector circuits.
7. A semiconductor device comprising:
a first area disposed over a semiconductor substrate and divided into a plurality of second areas;
first elements disposed in the second areas, formed in the semiconductor substrate and contributing to the storage of information;
second elements disposed in the second areas, formed in the semiconductor substrate;
a signal line formed in the first area and formed over the first and second elements; and
first wiring lines formed over the signal line and disposed in each of the second areas;
wherein the first wiring lines are wiring lines for supply voltage, respectively,
wherein each of the first wiring lines disposed in each of the second areas is formed so as to be different in shape from one another,
wherein each of the first wiring lines is electrically connected to a detector circuit, which is configured to be used for detection of tampering with the first wiring lines and which is comprised of the second elements,
wherein planar positional relationships between the first wiring lines and the detector circuits electrically connected thereto are arranged so as to be irregular,
wherein, when a part of the first wiring lines is subjected to processing, the detector renders the first semiconductor elements s unable to operate, and
wherein the first and second elements are MISFETs, respectively.
8. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the first wiring lines have a high potential supply voltage line and a low potential supply voltage line.
9. The semiconductor device according to claim 7 ,
wherein at least one of the first wiring lines has a plurality of the detector circuits.