Systems and methods for individually controlling power supply voltage to circuits in a semiconductor device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9804645-B2
Application number	US-201313744561-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2013
Priority date	Jan 23, 2012
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

To individually control supply of the power supply voltage to circuits, a semiconductor device includes a CPU, a memory that reads and writes data used in arithmetic operation of the CPU, a signal processing circuit that generates an output signal by converting a data signal generated by the arithmetic operation of the CPU, a first power supply control switch that controls supply of the power supply voltage to the CPU, a second power supply control switch that controls supply of the power supply voltage to the memory, a third power supply control switch that controls supply of the power supply voltage to the signal processing circuit, and a controller that at least has a function of controlling the first to third power supply control switches individually in accordance with an input signal and instruction signals input from the CPU and the signal processing circuit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A semiconductor device comprising:
a CPU electrically connected to a first switch;
a memory electrically connected to a second switch;
a signal processing circuit electrically connected to a third switch; and
a controller,
wherein the CPU comprises a first memory circuit and a second memory circuit, the first memory circuit and the second memory circuit being different from the memory,
wherein the first memory circuit is configured to be supplied with a first signal from the controller,
wherein the second memory circuit is configured to store a data immediately before power supply to the CPU stops,
wherein the data stored in the second memory circuit is configured to input to the first memory circuit immediately after power supply starts,
wherein the signal processing circuit is configured to convert an operation data signal of the CPU to an output signal which is input to an output device,
wherein each of the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch is electrically connected to a power supply line,
wherein the CPU is configured to output a second signal which is input to the controller,
wherein the controller is configured to control the first switch in accordance with the second signal,
wherein the signal processing circuit is configured to output a third signal which is input to the controller,
wherein the controller is configured to control the third switch in accordance with the third signal, and
wherein the controller is configured to control the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch individually.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the memory includes a field-effect transistor, and
wherein an off-state current of the field-effect transistor is 100 zA or less per channel width of 1 μm.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the field-effect transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer including crystal portions, and
wherein c-axes of the crystal portions are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a surface where the oxide semiconductor layer is formed.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the field-effect transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer including crystal portions, and
wherein c-axes of the crystal portions are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second memory circuit includes a field-effect transistor, and
wherein an off-state current of the field-effect transistor is 100 zA or less per channel width of 1 μm.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the field-effect transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer including crystal portions, and
wherein c-axes of the crystal portions are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a surface where the oxide semiconductor layer is formed.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the field-effect transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer including crystal portions, and
wherein c-axes of the crystal portions are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the signal processing circuit includes:
a first memory circuit configured to hold data in a period during which a power supply voltage is applied to the signal processing circuit; and
a second memory circuit configured to hold data in a period during which the power supply voltage is not applied to the signal processing circuit,

wherein the second memory circuit includes a field-effect transistor, and
wherein an off-state current of the field-effect transistor is 100 zA or less per channel width of 1 μm.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the field-effect transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer including crystal portions, and
wherein c-axes of the crystal portions are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a surface where the oxide semiconductor layer is formed.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 8 ,
wherein the field-effect transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer including crystal portions, and
wherein c-axes of the crystal portions are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
further comprising a selector in the CPU, and
wherein the selector is electrically connected to the first memory circuit and the second memory circuit.

12. A semiconductor device comprising:
a first CPU electrically connected to a first switch;
a memory electrically connected to a second switch;
a signal processing circuit electrically connected to a third switch; and
a second CPU,
wherein the first CPU comprises a first memory circuit and a second memory circuit, the first memory circuit and the second memory circuit being different from the memory,
wherein the first memory circuit is configured to be supplied with a first signal from the second CPU,
wherein the second memory circuit is configured to store a data immediately before power supply to the first CPU stops,
wherein the data stored in the second memory circuit is configured to input to the first memory circuit immediately after power supply starts,
wherein the signal processing circuit is configured to convert an operation data signal of the first CPU to an output signal which is input to an output device,
wherein each of the first switch, the second switch, and the third switch is electrically connected to a power supply line, and
wherein each of the first switch, the second switch and the third switch is controlled by a program used by the second CPU individually.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein the second CPU controls the third switch so that a power supply voltage starts to be applied to the signal processing circuit after the power supply voltage starts to be applied to the first CPU.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein the second CPU controls the first switch so that a power supply voltage stops being applied to the first CPU after the first CPU outputs the operation data signal.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 ,
wherein the memory comprises a field-effect transistor, and
wherein an off-state current of the field-effect transistor is 100 zA or less per channel width of 1 μm.

16. The semiconductor device according to claim 15 ,
wherein the field-effect transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer including crystal portions, and
wherein c-axes of the crystal portions are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a surface where the oxide semiconductor layer is formed.

17. The semiconductor device according to claim 15 ,
wherein the field-effect transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer including crystal portions, and
wherein c-axes of the crystal portions are aligned in a direction parallel to a normal vector of a surface of the oxide semiconductor layer.

18. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 ,
wherein the second memory circuit includes a field-effect transistor, and
wherein an off-state current of the field-effect transistor is 100 zA or less per channel width of 1 μm.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 18 ,
wherein the field-effect transistor compr

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Koyama Jun
• Yamazaki Shunpei

Classifications

• G06F1/3287 Primary

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title

• G06F1/26 Primary

  Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) · CPC title

• Y02B60/1282

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title