Semiconductor device

• US 10,298,285 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2017
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
• Original Assignee: SK Hynix Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Seong Ju
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Shuwang
• Assistant Examiner(s): McKie, Gina M
• Application Number:
  US15/655,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20180219572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits

Abstract

A semiconductor device includes a plurality of chips, at least one line, and a controller. Each of the chips includes a chip input/output (I/O) pad, a transceiver configured to perform a transmission operation in response to a transmission enable signal or perform a reception operation in response to a reception enable signal, and a switch configured to couple the chip input/output (I/O) pad to the transceiver in response to a switch enable signal. The at least one line is configured to couple the chip input/output (I/O) pads contained in the plurality of chips. The controller generates the transmission enable signal, the reception enable signal, and the switch enable signal in response to a command signal and a chip identifier (ID) signal.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

a plurality of chips, each chip including a chip input/output (I/O) pad, a transceiver configured to perform a transmission operation in response to a transmission enable signal or perform a reception operation in response to a reception enable signal, and a switch configured to couple the chip input/output (I/O) pad to the transceiver in response to a switch enable signal;

at least one line configured to couple the chip input/output (I/O) pads contained in the plurality of chips; and

a controller configured to generate the transmission enable signal, the reception enable signal, and the switch enable signal in response to a command signal and a chip identifier (ID) signal,

wherein the chip input/output (I/O) pad is coupled to the transceiver when the switch enable signal is enabled in at least one chip corresponding to the chip ID signal among the plurality of chips.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of chips further includes:

a common transceiver that is coupled to a transceiver contained in a corresponding chip, and performs a transmission operation in response to a common transmission enable signal or performs a reception operation in response to a common reception enable signal; and

a common input/output (I/O) pad coupled to the common transceiver, and

the controller generates the common transmission enable signal and the common reception enable signal on the basis of the command signal and the chip ID signal.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein:

when the command is a command for transmitting data to any one of the plurality of chips, the controller enables the common reception enable signal, a switch enable signal of a switch contained in the corresponding chip in which the common transceiver is contained from among the plurality of chips, a switch enable signal of a switch contained in a chip corresponding to the chip ID signal from among the plurality of chips, and a reception enable signal of a transceiver contained in the chip corresponding to the chip ID signal.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 2, wherein:

when the command is a command for transmitting data from any one of the plurality of chips, the controller enables a transmission enable signal of a transceiver contained in a chip corresponding to the chip ID signal from among the plurality of chips, a switch enable signal of a switch contained in the chip corresponding to the chip ID signal, a switch enable signal of a switch contained in the corresponding chip in which the common transceiver is contained from among the plurality of chips, and the common transmission enable signal.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a substrate configured to include an external pad through which external data is transmitted,

wherein the common input/output (I/O) pad is coupled between the common transceiver and the external pad.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the chip input/output (I/O) pads of two adjacent chips from among the plurality of chips are coupled through the line.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the switches contained in the plurality of chips include transfer gates.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the switch contained in each of the plurality of chips is an NMOS transistor.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein:

when the switch enable signal is enabled, a voltage having a voltage level higher than a voltage corresponding to a swing width of data applied to the semiconductor device is applied to a gate of the NMOS transistor.

10. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein:

when the command is a command for transmitting data to any one of the plurality of chips, the controller enables a switch enable signal of a switch contained in a chip corresponding to the chip ID signal from among the plurality of chips, and enables a reception enable signal of a transceiver contained in the chip corresponding to the chip ID signal.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein the controller disables a switch enable signal of each switch contained in the remaining chips from among the plurality of chips.

12. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein:

when the command is a command for transmitting data from any one of the plurality of chips, the controller enables a switch enable signal of a switch contained in a chip corresponding to the chip ID signal from among the plurality of chips, and a transmission enable signal of a transceiver contained in the chip corresponding to the chip ID signal.

13. A semiconductor device comprising:

a first chip including a common transceiver configured to perform a transmission operation in response to a common transmission enable signal or perform a reception operation in response to a common reception enable signal, a first transceiver configured to perform a transmission operation in response to a first transmission enable signal or perform a reception operation in response to a first reception enable signal, and a switch configured to couple the common transceiver to the first transceiver in response to a switch enable signal;

a second chip including a second transceiver coupled to the first transceiver through a line, configured to perform a transmission operation in response to a second transmission enable signal or a reception operation in response to a second reception enable signal; and

a controller configured to generate the common transmission enable signal, the common reception enable signal, the first transmission enable signal, the first reception enable signal, the switch enable signal, the second transmission enable signal and the second reception enable signal, in response to a command signal and a chip identifier (ID) signal.

14. The semiconductor system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a substrate in which an external input/output (I/O) pad is formed,

wherein the first chip further includes a common input/output (I/O) pad coupled between the common transceiver and the external input/output (I/O) pad.

15. The semiconductor system according to claim 13, wherein:

the first chip further includes a first chip input/output (I/O) pad coupled to the first transceiver; and

the second chip further includes a second chip input/output (I/O) pad coupled to the second transceiver,

wherein the first chip input/output (I/O) pad is coupled to the second chip input/output (I/O) pad through the line.

16. The semiconductor system according to claim 13, wherein:

when the command is a command for transmitting data to any one of the first chip and the second chip or a command for transmitting data from any one of the first chip and the second chip, the controller enables the switch enable signal.

17. The semiconductor system according to claim 16, wherein:

when the command is a command for transmitting data to any one of the first chip and the second chip, the controller enables the common reception enable signal, the switch enable signal, and one of the first and second reception enable signals selected in response to the chip ID signal.

18. The semiconductor system according to claim 16, wherein:

when the command is a command for transmitting data from any one of the first chip and the second chip, the controller enables one of the first and second transmission enable signals selected in response to the chip ID signal, the switch enable signal, and the common transmission enable signal.

19. The semiconductor device according to claim 13, wherein the switch is an NMOS transistor.

20. The semiconductor device according to claim 19, wherein a voltage having a voltage level higher than a voltage corresponding to a swing width of data applied to the semiconductor device is applied to a gate of the NMOS transistor.