Semiconductor device, liquid crystal display panel, and mobile information terminal

A semiconductor device comprising:

• a plurality of sets of external drive terminals arranged in a marginal region along one long side of a rectangular semiconductor substrate;
• a plurality of sets of ESD protection circuits also arranged in the marginal region and coupled to the corresponding sets of said external drive terminals;
• a plurality of output circuits coupled to the corresponding sets of said external drive terminals;
• a processing circuit formed over said semiconductor substrate to control output operation of said output circuits;
• and
• a plurality of external interface terminals, coupled to said processing circuit, arranged in a marginal region along the other long side of said semiconductor substrate;
• wherein the sets of said external drive terminals are arranged such that each set of the external drive terminals in a plurality of n columns in a Y direction is laid out in a staggered arrangement in which the positions of the external drive terminals in adjacent columns are shifted with respect to each other,
• wherein each output circuit comprises n output units associated with n external drive terminals of each set, the output circuits being arranged in a plurality of different columns in the Y direction, each column including a single output circuit that extends in an X direction perpendicular to the Y direction, and
• wherein a layout pitch for said external drive terminals is smaller than a layout pitch for said external interface terminals.

A semiconductor device comprising:

• a plurality of sets of external drive terminals arranged in a marginal region along one long side of a rectangular semiconductor substrate;
• a plurality of sets of ESD protection circuits also arranged in the marginal region and coupled to the corresponding sets of said external drive terminals;
• a plurality of output circuits coupled to the corresponding sets of said external drive terminals;
• and
• a processing circuit formed over said semiconductor substrate to control output operation of said output circuits,
• wherein the sets of said external drive terminals are arranged such that each set of the external drive terminals in a plurality of n columns in a Y direction is laid out in a staggered arrangement in which the positions of the external drive terminals in adjacent columns are shifted with respect to each other,
• wherein each output circuit comprises n output units associated with n external drive terminals of each set, the output circuits being arranged in a plurality of different columns in the Y direction, each column including a single output circuit that extends in an X direction perpendicular to the Y direction, and
• wherein each of said output units comprises:
• a latch circuit that latches display data supplied from said processing circuit;
• a tone level selecting circuit that decodes display data latched by the latch circuit and selects a tone level voltage signal;
• an output amplifier that amplifies a tone level voltage signal output from said tone level selecting circuit;
• and
• a select switch that selects either an output with a polarity from said output amplifier or an output with an opposite polarity from another output unit output amplifier and outputs the selected output to a corresponding one of the external drive terminals.