Semiconductor circuit apparatus with power save mode
AssigneeNEC Electronics Corporation
InventorYoshiharu Aimoto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semiconductor circuit apparatus comprises a substrate and a circuit block including a memory formed on the substrate. The circuit block performs regular operations at a first power supply voltage in an active mode, and a part of the circuit block is stopped and the memory keeps stored data at a second power supply voltage smaller than the first power supply voltage in a power save mode. The memory holds the stored data during the power save mode, resulting in higher speed return to a regular active mode, as well as power consumption reduction.
Claims16
A semiconductor circuit apparatus comprising:
- a circuit block including a memory;
- a power supply control circuit providing a reduced power supply voltage to the circuit block in a power save mode at which a part of the circuit block other than the memory is stopped and the memory is capable of keeping stored data,
- wherein a power supply determination circuit determines the reduced power supply voltage using a replica cell of the memory.
A semiconductor circuit apparatus comprising:
- a substrate;
- a circuit block including a memory formed on the substrate;
- wherein
- the circuit block performs regular operations at a first power supply voltage in an active mode, and a part of the circuit block other than the memory is stopped and the memory keeps stored data at a second power supply voltage smaller than the first power supply voltage in a power save mode,
- wherein a power supply determination circuit determines the reduced power supply voltage using a replica cell of the memory.
A semiconductor circuit apparatus, comprising:
- at least one circuit block comprising at least one volatile memory;
- a voltage regulator capable of supplying a plurality of voltages to the at least one circuit block;
- and
- a control circuit capable of causing the voltage regulator to supply at least a first power supply voltage level and a second power supply voltage level to the at least one circuit block,
- wherein the at least one circuit block performs functional operations in an active mode at the first power supply voltage level and, other than the at least one volatile memory, ceases to perform functional operations in a standby mode at the second power supply voltage level, and
- wherein the second power supply voltage level in the standby mode provides power to the at least one volatile memory sufficient to prevent loss of data stored in the at least one volatile memory, stored data,
- wherein a power supply determination circuit determines the second power supply voltage using a replica cell of the memory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.