Patent · US Expired

Semiconductor integrated circuit having a stand-by current reducing circuit

US5274601A · kind A · utility

90Cited by
2References
28Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateNov 6, 1992
Grant dateDec 28, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 6, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C8/08
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A device parameter of a switching transistor is set in such a way that a leakage current of the switching transistor making up a power source switch which is turned off in a stand-by state is smaller than the sum total of subthreshold currents of P-channel or N-channel MOS transistors in an off state of a plurality of CMOS circuits. Therefore, the currents which flow through the plurality of CMOS circuits in the stand-by state are not determined by the subthreshold current but are determined by a small leakage current of the switching transistor. As a result, even when the CMOS circuit is shrunken and the subthreshold current increases, it is possible to reduce the current consumption in the stand-by state.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.