Current switching for maintaining a constant internal voltage

An IC card comprising:

• a semiconductor device which includes an internal voltage supply circuit for generating an internal voltage from a power supply voltage,
• an internal circuit which is operated by the internal voltage,
• a switching transistor for receiving at a gate an operation signal output from the internal circuit, and
• a load circuit which is connected to a drain of the switching transistor and consumes substantially the same amount of electric current as the amount of electric current which the internal circuit consumes during an operation period and in which by the operation signal, the switching transistor is turned OFF when the internal circuit is in an operation state and is turned ON when the internal circuit is in a non-operation state,
• wherein the load circuit includes a first resistor and a load adjustment section connected in series to the first resistor.

A semiconductor device comprising:

• an internal voltage supply circuit for generating an internal voltage from a power supply voltage;
• an internal circuit which is operated by the internal voltage;
• a switching transistor for receiving at a gate an operation signal output from the internal circuit;
• and
• a load circuit which is connected to a drain of the switching transistor and consumes substantially the same amount of electric current as the amount of electric current which the internal circuit consumes during an operation period,
• wherein by the operation signal, the switching transistor is turned OFF when the internal circuit is in an operation state and is turned ON when the internal circuit is in a non-operation state,
• the load circuit includes a first resistor, and a load adjustment section for adjusting the amount of electric current which the load circuit consumes when the switching transistor is turned ON,
• the load adjustment section includes a second resistor and a fuse device which are connected in parallel to each other, and
• if the amount of electric current which the first resistor consumes is more than the amount of electric current which the internal circuit consumes during the operation period when the fuse device is not cut, the amount of electric current which the load circuit consumes is adjusted to be substantially the same as the amount of electric current which the internal circuit consumes by cutting the fuse device.