Method for driving semiconductor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9479145-B2
Application number	US-201514636529-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2015
Priority date	Mar 7, 2014
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

A novel PLL is provided. An oscillator circuit includes first to n-th inverters, and first and second circuits. A first terminal of each of the first and second circuits is electrically connected to an output terminal of the i-th inverter. A second terminal of each of the first and second circuits is electrically connected to an input terminal of the (i+1)-th inverter. The first circuit has functions of storing first data, switching between electrically disconnecting the first terminal and the second terminal from each other and setting a resistance between the first terminal and the second terminal to a value based on the first data. The second circuit has functions of storing second data, switching between electrically disconnecting the first terminal and the second terminal from each other and setting a resistance between the first terminal and the second terminal to a value based on the second data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for driving a semiconductor device comprising an oscillator circuit, the oscillator circuit comprising first to n-th inverters (n is an odd number greater than or equal to 3), a first circuit, and a second circuit,
wherein a first terminal of the first circuit is electrically connected to an output terminal of the i-th inverter (i is a number from 1 to (n−1)),
wherein a second terminal of the first circuit is electrically connected to an input terminal of the (i+1)-th inverter,
wherein a first terminal of the second circuit is electrically connected to the output terminal of the i-th inverter, and
wherein a second terminal of the second circuit is electrically connected to the input terminal of the (i+1)-th inverter,
the method comprising the steps of:
setting an oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuit to a first value by storing first data in the first circuit;
setting the oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuit to a second value by storing second data in the second circuit;
setting the oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuit to a value substantially equal to the first value by storing third data in the first circuit; and
setting the oscillation frequency of the oscillator circuit to a value substantially equal to the second value by storing fourth data in the second circuit,
wherein the third data has a value greater than a value of the first data, and
wherein the fourth data has a value greater than a value of the second data.

2. The method for driving a semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the first data, the second data, the third data, and the fourth data are analog potentials.

3. The method for driving a semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first circuit includes a first transistor and a first capacitor,
wherein the second circuit includes a second transistor and a second capacitor,
wherein the first transistor includes an oxide semiconductor in a channel formation region,
wherein the second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor in a channel formation region,
wherein the first data or the third data is input to the first capacitor through the first transistor, and
wherein the second data or the fourth data is input to the second capacitor through the second transistor.

4. A semiconductor device comprising an oscillator circuit, the oscillator circuit comprising first to n-th inverters (n is an odd number greater than or equal to 3), a first circuit, and a second circuit,
wherein a first terminal of the first circuit is electrically connected to an output terminal of the i-th inverter (i is a number from 1 to (n−1)),
wherein a second terminal of the first circuit is electrically connected to an input terminal of the (i+1)-th inverter,
wherein a first terminal of the second circuit is electrically connected to the output terminal of the i-th inverter,
wherein a second terminal of the second circuit is electrically connected to the input terminal of the (i+1)-th inverter,
wherein the first circuit has a function of storing first data,
wherein the first circuit has a function of switching between electrically disconnecting the first terminal and the second terminal from each other and setting a resistance between the first terminal and the second terminal to a value based on the first data,
wherein the second circuit has a function of storing second data, and
wherein the second circuit has a function of switching between electrically disconnecting the first terminal and the second terminal from each other and setting a resistance between the first terminal and the second terminal to a value based on the second data.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 4 , wherein the first data and the second data are analog potentials.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the first circuit includes a first transistor and a first capacitor,
wherein the second circuit includes a second transistor and a second capacitor,
wherein the first transistor includes an oxide semiconductor in a channel formation region,
wherein the second transistor includes an oxide semiconductor in a channel formation region,
wherein the first data is input to the first capacitor through the first transistor, and
wherein the second data is input to the second capacitor through the second transistor.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Okamoto Yuki
• Kurokawa Yoshiyuki

Classifications

• H03K5/131

  Digitally controlled · CPC title

• H03K3/356086 Primary

  with additional means for controlling the main nodes (H03K3/356104, H03K3/3562 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03L7/0995 Primary

  the oscillator comprising a ring oscillator · CPC title

• H03K5/26

  the characteristic being duration, interval, position, frequency, or sequence · CPC title

• H03K3/0315

  Ring oscillators · CPC title