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AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.
InventorsKenji Kaneko, Minoru Nagata, Makoto Furihata, Setsuo Ogura, Takahiro Okabe, Mitsuya Sato
Estimating the term…
A semiconductor integrated circuit includes low voltage operation circuitries such as I.sup.2 L and high voltage operation circuitries operating at a higher voltage than the low voltage operation circuitries. Both of the low and high voltage operation circuitries are implemented in a single semiconductor chip in coexistence with each other. The low voltage operation circuitries are disposed in constant current paths in the high voltage operation circuitries so that the currents once used by the high voltage operation circuits are utilized again by the low voltage operation circuitries. Power dissipation of the whole integrated circuit is thus reduced significantly.
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising an I.sup.2 L circuit and a high voltage operation circuit operating at a higher voltage than that of said I.sup.2 L circuit and implemented in coexistence with said I.sup.2 L circuit in the same integrated circuit, wherein said I.sup.2 L circuit is inserted in a series combination with said high voltage operation circuit between a first power supply terminal and a ground line, wherein said I.sup.2 L circuit is connected between said high voltage operation circuit and said ground line and wherein the current flow through a portion of said high voltage circuit is substantially constant so as to provide a current source for said I.sup.2 L circuit in addition to other functions and operations inherent to said high voltage operation circuit, to thereby allow the current once utilized by said high voltage operation circuit to be reused by said I.sup.2 L circuit.
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising an I.sup.2 L circuit and a high voltage operation circuit operating at a higher voltage than that of said I.sup.2 L circuit and implemented in coexistence with said I.sup.2 L circuit in the same integrated circuit, wherein said I.sup.2 L circuit is inserted in a series combinatin with said high voltage operation circuit between a first power supply terminal and a ground line, wherein said I.sup.2 L circuit is connected between said first power supply terminal and said high voltage circuit and wherein the current flow through a portion of said high voltage circuit is substantially constant so that substantially all of the current flowing through said I.sup.2 L circuit will be fed to said high voltage circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.