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US 7,627,442 B2Granted
Semiconductor device having a test-voltage generation circuit
AssigneeElpida Memory, Inc.
InventorTatsuya Matano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A semiconductor device includes an internal power supply line, a first power supply circuit, and second power supply circuits. The first power supply circuit includes an ordinary-voltage generation circuit supplying an ordinary voltage to the internal power supply line during an ordinary operation, and a test-voltage generation circuit supplying a test voltage to the internal power supply line during a test operation. Each of the second power supply circuits includes only an ordinary-voltage generation circuit. The number of ordinary-voltage generation circuits is thereby larger than the number of test-voltage generation circuits. Therefore, the ordinary voltage such as the precharge potential can be stably supplied to the internal power supply line while suppressing an increase in chip area.
Claims20
A semiconductor device comprising:
- an internal power supply line;
- a plurality of ordinary-voltage generation circuits each supplying an ordinary voltage to the internal power supply line during an ordinary operation, the internal power supply line being coupled in common to the ordinary-voltage generation circuits to receive the ordinary voltage from each of the ordinary-voltage generation circuits;
- and
- at least one test-voltage generation circuit supplying a test voltage to the internal power supply line during a test operation, the internal power supply line being supplied with the test voltage in place of the ordinary voltage during the test operation;
- wherein the ordinary-voltage generation circuits are larger in number than the test-voltage generation circuits.
2 more elements
A semiconductor comprising:
- an internal power supply line;
- a plurality of ordinary-voltage generation circuits each supplying an ordinary voltage to the internal power supply line during an ordinary operation, the internal power supply line being coupled in common to the ordinary-voltage generation circuits to receive the ordinary voltage from each of the ordinary-voltage generation circuits;
- and
- at least one test-voltage generation circuit supplying a test voltage to the internal power supply line during a test operation, the internal power supply line being supplied with the test voltage in place of the ordinary voltage during the test operation,
- wherein the ordinary-voltage generation circuits are larger in number than the test-voltage generation circuits, and
- wherein the test-voltage generation circuit is arranged to be adjacent to predetermined one of the plurality of ordinary-voltage generation circuits.
3 more elements
A semiconductor device comprising an internal power supply line;
- at least one first power supply circuit;
- and a plurality of second power supply circuits, the power supply line being coupled in common to the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuits;
- the first power supply circuit including:
- an ordinary-voltage generation circuit generating an ordinary voltage during an ordinary operation,
- a test-voltage generation circuit generating a test voltage during a test operation,
- a control circuit controlling the first power supply circuit such that the ordinary-voltage generation circuit supplies the ordinary voltage to the internal power supply line during the ordinary operation and the test-voltage generation circuit supplies the test voltage to the internal power supply line during the test operation, and
- a reference-voltage generation circuit supplying a reference voltage to at least the ordinary-voltage generation circuits,
- wherein the ordinary-voltage generation circuit, the test-voltage generation circuit, the control circuit, and the reference-voltage generation circuit are arranged adjacently to one another;
- each of the second power supply circuits generating the ordinary voltage during the ordinary operation;
- and
- the control circuit of the first power supply circuit further controlling the second power supply circuits such that each of the second power supply circuits supplies the ordinary voltage to the internal power supply line during the ordinary operation.
8 more elements
A semiconductor device comprising:
- an internal circuit;
- a power supply line coupled to the internal circuit;
- a plurality of first voltage generation circuits coupled in common to the power supply line, each of the first voltage generation circuits generating and supplying, when activated, a first power voltage to the power supply line and stopping, when deactivated, generation and supply of the first power voltage to the power supply line;
- a second voltage generation circuit coupled to the power supply line, the second voltage generation circuit generating and supplying, when activated, a second power voltage to the power supply line and stopping, when deactivated, generation and supply of the second power voltage to the power supply line, the first voltage being different from the second voltage;
- and
- a control circuit coupled in common to the first voltage generation circuits and the second voltage generation circuit and controlling the first and second voltage generation circuits to activate each of first voltage generation circuits while deactivating the second voltage generation circuit during an ordinary operation and to activate the second voltage generation circuit while deactivating each of the first voltage generation circuits during a test operation.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.