# US 2010/0164560 A1 · Semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus electronic apparatus and method of manufacturing semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus

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- Number: US 2010/0164560 A1
- Document ID: US20100164560A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/721,776
- Filed: 2010-03-11
- Published: 2010-07-01
- Earliest claimed: 2005-10-14
- Assignees: Panasonic Corporation
- Inventors: Hidekichi SHIMURA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100164560A1

## CPC

- H03K 19/0013: {in field effect transistor circuits}
- H10D 84/85: Complementary IGFETs, e.g. CMOS
- H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M)
- H10D: INORGANIC ELECTRIC SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

## Abstract

A semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus includes a first circuit block including a critical path and second and third circuit blocks not including the critical path. A threshold voltage of a semiconductor element of a circuit in the first circuit block is equal to or lower than a threshold voltage of a semiconductor element of a circuit in the second circuit block and a supply voltage supplied to the first circuit block is equal to or higher than a supply voltage supplied to the second circuit block, wherein the critical path in the first circuit block is eliminated. A threshold voltage of a semiconductor element of a circuit in the third circuit block is equal to or lower than the threshold voltage of the semiconductor element of the circuit in the second circuit block, and a supply voltage supplied to the third circuit block is equal to or lower than the supply voltage supplied to the second circuit block, wherein power consumption of the third circuit block is reduced.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus comprising:
a first circuit block including a critical path; and
second and third circuit blocks not including said critical path, wherein:
a threshold voltage of a semiconductor element of a circuit in said first circuit block is equal to or lower than a threshold voltage of a semiconductor element of a circuit in said second circuit block and a supply voltage supplied to said first circuit block is equal to or higher than a supply voltage supplied to said second circuit block, wherein the critical path in said first circuit block is eliminated; and
a threshold voltage of a semiconductor element of a circuit in said third circuit block is equal to or lower than the threshold voltage of the semiconductor element of the circuit in said second circuit block, and a supply voltage supplied to said third circuit block is equal to or lower than the supply voltage supplied to said second circuit block, wherein power consumption of said third circuit block is reduced.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the threshold voltage of the semiconductor element of the circuit in said third circuit block is equal to or lower than the threshold voltage of said first circuit block.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the circuit in said third circuit block is a driver that drives a line for transmitting a signal to each block.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first circuit block, said second and third circuit blocks constitute a first functional block and the circuit of said third circuit block is a driver that drives a line for transmitting a signal from said first functional block to the circuit in a second functional block.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, when power to said first functional block is cut off, a clock signal, which sets said first functional block to a standby state, is supplied to the circuit in said first functional block and to the circuit in said second functional block.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, when said first functional block is on standby, the supply voltage supplied to a combination circuit in said first circuit block is cut off.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when said first functional block is on standby, the supply voltage supplied to said driver is cut off.

### Claim 8

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus provided with a first circuit block including a critical path, and second and third circuit blocks not including the critical path, the method comprising:
setting a threshold voltage of a semiconductor element of a circuit in the first circuit block equal to or lower than a threshold voltage of a semiconductor element of a circuit in the second circuit block;
setting a supply voltage supplied to the first circuit block equal to or higher than a supply voltage supplied to the second circuit block;
detecting that the critical path in the first circuit block is eliminated;
setting a threshold voltage of a semiconductor element of a circuit in the third circuit block equal to or lower than the threshold voltage of the semiconductor element of the circuit in the second circuit block; and
setting a supply voltage to be supplied to the third circuit block equal to or lower than the supply voltage supplied to the second circuit block.