SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

• Main Author: SEKI TAKEHIRO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 08.12.2005
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a semiconductor device in which power consumption including leak power in the active state of a semiconductor circuit can be effectively reduced, and to provide a method for controlling a voltage supplied to the semiconductor circuit. SOLUTION: Under a condition that the delay of a critical path in a target circuit 1 monitored by a delay monitor circuit 3 does not exceed the operation clock time of the target circuit 1, a power supply voltage VDDand a substrate voltage VBSsupplied to the target circuit 1 are controlled so that the power consumption of the target circuit 1 monitored by a power consumption monitor circuit 4 is minimized. Since the rate of capacitor charging and discharging power and leak power to the whole power consumption can be changed to a suitable rate capable of minimizing the whole power consumption, the whole power consumption including leak power can be effectively reduced as compared with a method for controlling only a power supply voltage. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI