Semiconductor device including power storage elements, switches, and circuit including load

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10033379-B2
Application number	US-201715412094-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2017
Priority date	Aug 8, 2014
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

To generate an analog current without restriction by a power supply voltage. A semiconductor device includes a first node, a second node, a first- to an n-th-stage power storage element (n is an integer greater than or equal to 2), and a first- to an n-th-stage switch. The capacities of the first- to the n-th-stage power storage element are different from one another. The first- to the n-th-stage power storage element are electrically connected in parallel between the first node and the second node. A first terminal of a k-th stage power storage element (k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to n) is electrically connected to the first input node via a k-th stage switch. The on/off states of the first- to the n-th-stage switch are controlled by a first to an n-th signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a first node;
a second node;
a first-stage power storage element to an n-th-stage power storage element;
a first-stage switch to an n-th-stage switch;
a first switch electrically connected to the second node; and
a second switch electrically connected to the second node,
wherein capacities of the first-stage power storage element to the n-th-stage power storage element are different from one another,
wherein the first-stage power storage element to the n-th-stage power storage element are electrically connected in parallel between the first node and the second node,
wherein the first-stage power storage element to the n-th-stage power storage element are electrically connected to the first node via the first-stage switch to the n-th-stage switch, respectively,
wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 2,
wherein the first switch is electrically connected to a load which is supplied a first potential,
wherein the second switch is supplied a second potential, and
wherein the first potential is lower than the second potential.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first stage switch to the n-th-stage switch each comprise a transistor, and on/off states of the first stage switch to the n-th-stage switch are controlled by the first signal to the n-th signal, respectively.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first stage switch to the n-th-stage switch each comprise a first transistor, a second transistor, and a capacitor,
wherein a first terminal of each first transistor is electrically connected to a first terminal of each of the first-stage power storage element to the n-th-stage power storage element, respectively,
wherein a second terminal of each first transistor is electrically connected to the first node,
wherein a gate of each first transistor is electrically connected to the capacitor of each of the first stage switch to the n-th-stage switch, respectively,
wherein each of the first signal to the n-th signal is input to a first terminal of each second transistor, respectively,
wherein a second terminal of each second transistor is electrically connected to each gate of the first transistor, respectively, and
wherein on/off states of second transistors of the first-stage switch to the n-th-stage switch are controlled by a common signal.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3 ,
wherein a channel of each second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a capacity of the k-th-stage power storage element is 2″ times the capacity of the first-stage power storage element, and
wherein k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to n.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a signal group including the first signal to the n-th signal is an n-bit digital signal.

7. An oscillator circuit, comprising q-stage inverter circuits,
wherein q is an odd number greater than 1 and less than n,
wherein the q-stage inverter circuits are electrically connected in series, and
wherein the semiconductor device according to claim 1 is electrically connected to each of input nodes of power supply voltages of the q-stage inverter circuits.

8. A phase locked loop comprising the oscillator circuit according to claim 7 .

9. A memory device comprising:
a memory cell array; and
a row driver circuit and a column driver circuit configured to drive the memory cell array,
wherein the column driver circuit includes the semiconductor device according to claim 1 .

10. An electronic device comprising:
the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , and
at least one of a display device, a touch panel, a microphone, a speaker, an operation key, and a housing.

11. A semiconductor device comprising:
a first node;
a second node;
a first-stage power storage element to an n-th-stage power storage element;
a first-stage switch to an n-th-stage switch;
a first switch electrically connected to the second node; and
a second switch electrically connected to the second node,
wherein capacities of the first-stage power storage element to the n-th-stage power storage element are different from one another,
wherein the first-stage power storage element to the n-th-stage power storage element are electrically connected in parallel between the first node and the second node,
wherein the first-stage power storage element to the n-th-stage power storage element are electrically connected to the first node via the first-stage switch to the n-th-stage switch, respectively,
wherein n is an integer greater than or equal to 2,
wherein the first switch is electrically connected to a load which is supplied a first potential,
wherein the second switch is supplied a second potential,
wherein the first potential is lower than the second potential,
wherein the first stage switch to the n-th-stage switch each comprise a transistor, and on/off states of the first stage switch to the n-th-stage switch are controlled by the first signal to the n-th signal, respectively, and
wherein a channel of each transistor includes an oxide semiconductor.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 11 ,
wherein a capacity of the k-th-stage power storage element is 2″ times the capacity of the first-stage power storage element, and
wherein k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to n.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 11 ,
wherein a signal group including the first signal to the n-th signal is an n-bit digital signal.

14. An oscillator circuit, comprising q-stage inverter circuits,
wherein q is an odd number greater than 1 and less than n,
wherein the q-stage inverter circuits are electrically connected in series, and
wherein the semiconductor device according to claim 11 is electrically connected to each of input nodes of power supply voltages of the q-stage inverter circuits.

15. A phase locked loop comprising the oscillator circuit according to claim 14 .

16. A memory device comprising:
a memory cell array; and
a row driver circuit and a column driver circuit configured to drive the memory cell array,
wherein the column driver circuit includes the semiconductor device according to claim 11 .

17. An electronic device comprising:
the semiconductor device according to claim 11 , and
at least one of a display device, a touch panel, a microphone, a speaker, an operation key, and a housing.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Kurokawa Yoshiyuki
• Okamoto Yuki

Classifications

• H03L2207/06

  Phase locked loops with a controlled oscillator having at least two frequency control terminals · CPC title

• H03B5/00

  Generation of oscillations using amplifier with regenerative feedback from output to input (H03B9/00, H03B15/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03K17/687 Primary

  the devices being field-effect transistors · CPC title

• H03L7/093

  using special filtering or amplification characteristics in the loop (H03L7/087 - H03L7/091 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03K3/0315

  Ring oscillators · CPC title