US 5,315,157 AGranted

Semiconductor integrated circuit device having voltage level converting circuits

AssigneeNEC Corporation

InventorYuuji Koizumi

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A semiconductor integrated circuit device is provided which comprises circuit blocks driven at different power source voltages and voltage level converting circuits for converting the voltage level of a signal between these circuit blocks. Power source voltage supplying lines are disposed at an area corresponding to a wiring region provided between an internal circuit region and interface region formed on a semiconductor substrate, and a larger number of voltage level converting circuits than that necessary for the integrated circuit are disposed along the blocks are connected to the voltage level converting circuits of a necessary number for the integrated circuit. The time required for layout designing can be reduced and an error due to layout designing is difficult to be generated.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising:

an internal circuit region including a first circuit block and a second circuit block, said first circuit block being driven at a first power source voltage, and said second circuit block being driven at a second power source voltage different in value from said first power source voltage;
an interface region including a plurality of interface blocks;
a wiring region formed between said internal circuit region and said interface region, said wiring region including wiring lines;
at least one first voltage level converting circuit configured for converting a signal voltage level between said first circuit block and said second circuit block, said first voltage level converting circuit being formed in said writing region;
and
at least one second voltage level converting circuit configured for converting a signal voltage level between said first circuit block and said second circuit block, said second voltage level converting circuit being formed in said wiring region;
wherein only one of said first voltage level converting circuit and said second voltage level converting circuit is used for voltage conversion between said first circuit block and said second circuit block is a given semiconductor integrated circuit device arrangement.

4 more elements

A semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising:

an internal circuit region including a plurality of circuit blocks driven at a first power source voltage;
an interface region including a plurality of interface blocks, said interface blocks being driven at a second power source voltage different in value from said first power source voltage;
a wiring region formed between said internal circuit region and said interface region, said wiring region including wiring lines;
a first voltage level converting circuit configured for converting a signal voltage level between said circuit blocks and said interface blocks, said first voltage level converting circuit being formed in said wiring region;
and
a second voltage level converting circuit configured for converting a signal voltage level between said circuit blocks and said interface blocks, said second voltage level converting circuit being formed in said wiring region;
wherein only one of said first voltage level converting circuit and said second voltage level converting circuit is used for voltage conversion between at least one of said circuit blocks and least one of said interface blocks in a given semiconductor integrated circuit device arrangement.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.