Semiconductor device without limitation on insert orientation on board
AssigneeMitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorAkiko Ota
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Abstract
An internal input voltage generating/external output voltage generating circuit is provided within a semiconductor device, a voltage on a pad corresponding to a supply pin terminal is detected to specify the inserted orientation of the semiconductor device based on the detection result and apply a correct voltage to a chip internal circuit. According to the specified direction, one of a plurality of pin terminals located in rotation or line-symmetry is selected to couple the selected terminal to the chip internal circuit. Accordingly, a semiconductor device can be implemented that is never damaged and operates normally even if the device is mounted on a circuit board in any possible orientation which the device can take upon board mounting.
Claims10
A semiconductor device comprising:
- a plurality of external terminals;
- an internal circuit receiving a voltage on an internal node as one operating supply voltage;
- and
- a selection circuit coupled to said plurality of external terminals for selecting the voltage to be transmitted to said internal node from voltages on said plurality of external terminals and supplying a selected voltage to said internal node according to the voltages on said plurality of external terminals, wherein
- said plurality of external terminals include a plurality of pairs of first and second terminals, and
- said selection circuit includes a plurality of switching elements provided corresponding to said plurality of pairs of first and second terminals respectively, and selectively made conductive, in response to voltages on the first and second terminals of corresponding pairs, for electrically coupling a predetermined one of the first and second terminals of the corresponding pairs to said internal node.
A semiconductor device comprising:
- a plurality of external terminals;
- an internal circuit receiving a voltage on an internal node as one operating power supply voltage;
- a selection circuit coupled to said plurality of external terminals for selecting the voltage transmitted to said internal node from voltages on said plurality of external terminals and supplying a selected voltage to said internal node according to the voltages on said plurality of external terminals;
- a plurality of signal terminals;
- and
- coupling circuitry provided corresponding to said plurality of external terminals, for electrically coupling one of said plurality of signal terminals to a second internal node different from said internal node in response to voltages on said plurality of external terminals, said second internal node coupled to said internal circuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.