Semiconductor integrated circuit and leak current reducing method

• US 7,420,857 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oki Semiconductor Company Limited (ROHM Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Hidekazu, Hirota, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, VU ANH
• Application Number:
  US11/546,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20070097756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 365/189.09, 365/229, 365/154
• US Class Current: 365/189.09
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/417 for memory cells of the field-effect type

Abstract

The present invention provides a semiconductor integrated circuit device which includes at least an SRAM memory cell array comprising a plurality of memory cells each constituted of a circuit including load MOS transistors, drive MOS transistors and transfer MOS transistors, a substrate bias generating circuit which is electrically connected to the load MOS transistors and supplies a substrate potential to the load MOS transistors during at least operation and standby, and a source bias generating circuit which is electrically connected to the drive MOS transistors and supplies a source potential to the drive MOS transistors at standby. It is possible to reduce a leak current in an SRAM memory cell during both operation and standby and reduce current consumption.

Claims

1. A semiconductor integrated circuit device comprising at least:

an SRAM memory cell array comprising a plurality memory cells each including load MOS transistors; and

a substrate bias generating circuit which is electrically connected to the load MOS transistors and supplies a first substrate potential to the load MOS transistors upon at least operation and standby of the SRAM memory cell array in such a manner that absolute values of threshold voltages of the load MOS transistors increase.

2. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein each of the memory cells further includes drive MOS transistor and transfer MOS transistors, and each of the load MOS transistors comprises a PMOS transistor.

3. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 2, further including a source bias generating circuit which is electrically connected to the drive MOS transistors and which sets a source potential of each of the drive MOS transistors to a ground potential upon the operation and sets the source potential to a first bias potential higher than the ground potential upon the standby.

4. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 3, wherein the source bias generating circuit comprises a regulator circuit.

5. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 4, wherein the regulator circuit has an output voltage characteristic having a positive temperature coefficient, in which an output voltage thereof increases with a rise in temperature.

6. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 4, wherein the regulator circuit has an output voltage characteristic in which an output voltage thereof is proportional to the magnitude of a leak current.

7. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate bias generating circuit includes:

a charge pump circuit,

an oscillator circuit electrically connected to the charge pump circuit, and

a sensor circuit electrically connected to the charge pump circuit and the oscillator circuit.

8. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate bias generating circuit generates the first substrate potential using a power supply higher in voltage than an SRAM power supply.

9. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate bias generating circuit generates the first substrate potential using a voltage stepped down from a power supply higher in voltage than an SRAM power supply.

10. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 8, wherein the power supply higher than the SRAM power supply in voltage comprises a power supply for an input/output buffer.

11. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, further including:

a peripheral circuit electrically connected to the memory cells and for obtaining access to the memory cells; and

a first switch element which is electrically connected to the peripheral circuit and which supplies a power supply voltage to the peripheral circuit upon the operation and unsupplies the power supply voltage to the peripheral circuit at the standby.

12. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 11, wherein the first switch element is constituted of a PMOS transistor electrically connected between a power supply and the peripheral circuit.

13. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 12, further including a second switch element which is electrically connected between the PMOS transistor and the substrate bias generating circuit and which supplies the first substrate potential supplied from the substrate bias generating circuit to the load MOS transistors to the PMOS transistor at the standby and unsupplies the first substrate potential to the PMOS transistor upon the operation.

14. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 11, further including a third switch element which is electrically connected to the peripheral circuit and which supplies a ground voltage to the peripheral circuit at the standby and unsupplies the ground voltage to the peripheral circuit upon the operation.

15. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 14, wherein the third switch element is constituted of an NMOS transistor electrically connected between ground and the peripheral circuit.

16. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 12, further including a fourth switch element which is electrically connected to the first switch element and supplies a voltage of an input/output buffer power supply higher in voltage than an SRAM power supply to the first switch element as a control voltage at the standby.

17. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 1, further including:

a peripheral circuit electrically connected to the memory cells and for obtaining access to the memory cells; and

a fifth switch element which is electrically connected to the peripheral circuit and which supplies a power supply voltage to the peripheral circuit upon the operation and unsupplies the power supply voltage to the peripheral circuit at the standby.

18. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 17, wherein the fifth switch element is constituted of an NMOS transistor electrically connected between ground and the peripheral circuit.

19. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 17, further including a sixth switch element which is electrically connected to the peripheral circuit and which supplies a power supply voltage to the peripheral circuit at the standby and unsupplies the power supply voltage to the peripheral circuit upon the operation.

20. The semiconductor integrated circuit device according to claim 19, wherein the sixth switch element is constituted of a PMOS transistor electrically connected between a power supply and the peripheral circuit.

21. A leak current reducing method for an SRAM memory cell, comprising the steps of:

generating a first substrate potential for increasing absolute values of threshold voltages of load MOS transistors included in the SRAM memory cell; and

supplying the first substrate potential to the load MOS transistors upon at least operation and standby of the SRAM memory cell.

22. The leak current reducing method according to claim 21, further including the steps of:

setting a source potential of each drive MOS transistor included in the SRAM memory cell to a ground potential upon the operation; and

setting the source potential to a first bias potential higher than the ground potential.

23. The leak current reducing method according to claim 21, wherein the step for generating the first substrate potential comprises a step for generating the first substrate potential using a power supply higher in voltage than an SRAM power supply.

24. The leak current reducing method according to claim 21, wherein the step for generating the first substrate potential comprises a step for generating the first substrate potential using a voltage stepped down from the power supply higher in voltage than the SRAM power supply.

25. The leak current reducing method according to claim 21, wherein the power supply higher than the SRAM power supply in voltage comprises an input/output buffer power supply.