Circuit device

• US 7,327,581 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2006
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ohmori, Mutsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Tuan T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen; Xiaoliang
• Application Number:
  US11/593,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20070103878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 361/717, 361/760, 361/788, 361796-799, 365/51, 365/205, 365/230.03, 257/675, 257/691, 257/700, 257/706, 257/723, 257/724, 257/737, 257/777, 257/783, 705/67, 438/107, 708/207, 710/10, 710/300, 710/305
• US Class Current: 361/760
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/43 Arrangements comprising a plurality of opto-electronic elements and associated optical interconnections
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32145 the bodies being stacked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01019 Potassium [K]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01021 Scandium [Sc]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01025 Manganese [Mn]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/101 Devices sensitive to infrared, visible or ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

A circuit device includes plural semiconductor circuit devices that are formed on independent substrates, respectively, and communicate with each other. Each of the semiconductor circuit devices includes: plural modules of an identical type, functions of which are substitutable for one another; a module selecting unit that selects, among the plural modules, usable modules that are a part of the plural modules; and a circuit block including an interface unit for the modules selected by the module selecting unit to exchange signals with the other semiconductor circuit devices. A logic module included in one of the semiconductor circuit devices belongs to a different type, a function of which is not substitutable for a function of a logic module included in at least one of the other semiconductor circuit devices.

Claims

1. A circuit device comprising plural semiconductor circuit devices that are formed on independent substrates, respectively, and communicate with each other, wherein

each of the semiconductor circuit devices includes:

plural modules of an identical type, functions of which are substitutable for one another;

a module selecting unit that selects, among the plural modules, usable modules that are a part of the plural modules; and

a circuit block including an interface unit for the modules selected by the module selecting unit to exchange signals with the other semiconductor circuit devices, and

a logic module included in one of the semiconductor circuit devices belongs to a different type, a function of which is not substitutable for a function of a logic module included in at least one of the other semiconductor circuit devices.

2. The circuit device according to claim 1, wherein

the circuit block has plural input/output units, each of which outputs at least one signal to one module and/or inputs at least one signal generated in the one module, and

the module selecting unit selects modules out of the plural modules according to a control signal inputted, connects the modules selected and the plural input/output units in a one to one relation, arid connects one module selected out of at least two modules according to the control signal to each of the plural input/output units.

3. The circuit device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plural semiconductor circuit devices has plural memory cells including a redundant memory cell and includes a semiconductor storage device for replacing a defective memory cell with the redundant memory cell.

4. The circuit device according to claim 1, further comprising a signal transmitting unit that is capable of transmitting signals among the semiconductor circuit devices at speed equivalent to or higher than transmission speed of signals among the modules in the semiconductor circuit device.

5. The circuit device according to claim 1, wherein two or more interface units included in different semiconductor circuit devices perform radio communication using radio waves.

6. The circuit device according to claim 1, wherein plural interface units included in the plural semiconductor circuit devices perform communication according to a common communication system.

7. The circuit device according to claim 1, further comprising a signal transmitting unit that is capable of transmitting signals among the semiconductor circuit devices at speed equivalent to or higher than transmission speed of signals within the semiconductor circuit devices.

8. The circuit device according to claim 2, wherein

the plural modules include N (N indicates an integer equal to or larger than 3) modules from a first module to an Nth module,

the plural input/output units include (N−

1) input/output units from a first input/output unit to an (N−

1)th input/output unit, and

the module selecting unit selects one of an i-th module (i indicates integers from 1 to (N−

1)) and an (i+1)th module and connects the module selected to an i-th input/output unit.

9. The circuit device according to claim 2, wherein the plural modules include N (N indicates an integer equal to or larger than 3) modules from a first module to an Nth module,

the plural inputloutput units include (N−

1) input/output units from a first input/output unit to an (N−

1)th input/output unit, and

if a defect is detected in the i-th module (i indicates integers from 1 to (N−

1)) the module selecting unit connects the first though (i−

1)th modules to the first though (i−

1)th input/output units, respectively, and connects the (i+1)th through N-th modules to the i-th through (N−

1)th input/output modules, respectively.

10. The circuit device according to claim 4, wherein the signal transmitting unit transmits at least a part of signals using light.

11. The circuit device according to claim 4, wherein the signal transmitting unit includes an electrode that pierces through the substrate.

12. The circuit device according to claim 4, wherein the signal transmitting unit includes wiring formed by wire bonding.

13. The circuit device according to claim 10, wherein the interface unit converts at least a part of electric signals outputted to the signal transmitting unit into a light signal and convert at least a part of light signals inputted from the signal transmitting unit into an electric signal.