Semiconductor circuit including flip-flop

This application claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0126269 filed on Sep. 7, 2015, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor circuit including a flip-flop.

2. Description of the Related Art

More logic circuits are integrated on a single chip due to miniaturization of the process. Thus, a size of a unit cell area of the chip directly impacts the integration of the chip. Also, since the performance of a flip-flop for transmitting data, depending on a clock signal, within a digital system is directly connected to the performance of the system, achievement of a high-speed flip-flop to achieve a high-speed system has increasingly emerged as an important issue.

However, when achieving the high-speed flip-flop, there is a problem of an increase in an area of the flip-flop from the viewpoint of layout.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a semiconductor circuit which includes a high-speed flip-flop in which reliability of the product is enhanced and a unit cell area is reduced.

However, aspects of the present disclosure are not restricted to those set forth herein. The above and other aspects of the present disclosure will become more apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains by referencing the detailed description of the present disclosure given below.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a semiconductor circuit that includes a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit determines a logic level of a second node and a logic level of a third node, on the basis of a logic level of input data, a logic level of a clock signal, and a logic level of a first node. The second circuit determines the logic level of the first node, on the basis of the logic level of the clock signal, the logic level of the second node, and the logic level of the third node. The first circuit comprises a sub-circuit and a first transistor. The first circuit determines the logic level of the second node, on the basis of the logic level of the input data and the logic level of the first node. The first transistor is gated to the logic level of the clock signal to connect the third node with the second node.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a semiconductor circuit that includes a first circuit, a second circuit, and a latch circuit. The first circuit determines a logic level of a second node and a logic level of a third node, on the basis of a logic level of input data, a logic level of a clock signal, and a logic level of a first node. The second circuit determines the logic level of the first node, on the basis of the logic level of the clock signal, the logic level of the second node, and the logic level of the third node. The latch circuit determines a logic level of an output terminal, on the basis of the logic level of the clock signal and the logic level of the third node. When the logic level of the clock signal is a first logic level, the logic level of the second node is transmitted to the third node and the logic level of the third node is transmitted to the output terminal.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a semiconductor circuit that includes a first circuit, a second circuit, and a latch circuit. The first circuit determines a logic level of a second node and a logic level of a third node, on the basis of a logic level of input data, a logic level of a clock signal, and a logic level of a first node. The second circuit determines the logic level of the first node, on the basis of the logic level of the clock signal, the logic level of the second node, and the logic level of the third node. The latch circuit determines a logic level of an output terminal, on the basis of the logic level of the clock signal and the logic level of the third node. When the logic level of the clock signal or the logic level of the third node is the first logic level, the first node is pre-charged. When the logic level of the clock signal or the logic level of the second node is a second logic level different from the first logic level, the first node is discharged. When the logic level of the clock signal or the logic level of the first node is the first logic level, the third node is pre-charged, and when all of the logic level of the clock signal, the logic level of the input data and the logic level of the first node are the second logic level, the third node is discharged.

According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, there is a provided a semiconductor circuit that includes a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit includes a first transistor, a second transistor, and a third transistor. The first transistor is gated to an inverted value of a logic level of a first node to pull up a second node. The second transistor is connected in parallel to the first transistor and is gated to an inverted value of a logic level of a clock signal to pull up the second node. The third transistor is gated to the logic level of the clock signal to make logic levels of the second node and a third node the same. The second circuit includes a fourth transistor, a fifth transistor, a sixth transistor, and a seventh transistor. The fourth transistor is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the clock signal to pull up the first node. The fifth transistor is connected in parallel to the fourth transistor and is gated to an inverted value of the logic level of the second node to pull up the first node. The sixth transistor is gated to the logic level of the third node to pull down the first node. The seventh transistor is connected in series to the sixth transistor and is gated to the logic level of the clock signal to transmit a ground voltage.

The above and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating a second sub-circuit included in a first circuit of FIG. 1 ;

FIGS. 4 to 7 are timing charts for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are timing charts for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an SoC system including the semiconductor circuit according to the embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of an electronic system including the semiconductor circuit according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods of accomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art, and the present disclosure will only be defined by the appended claims. In the drawings, the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “on” or “connected to” another element or layer, it can be directly on or connected to the other element or layer or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” or “directly connected to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the disclosure (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. Thus, for example, a first element, a first component or a first section discussed below could be termed a second element, a second component or a second section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure will be described with reference to perspective views, cross-sectional views, and/or plan views, in which preferred embodiments of the disclosure are shown. Thus, the profile of an exemplary view may be modified according to manufacturing techniques and/or allowances. That is, the embodiments of the disclosure are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure but cover all changes and modifications that can be caused due to a change in manufacturing process. Thus, regions shown in the drawings are illustrated in schematic form and the shapes of the regions are presented simply by way of illustration and not as a limitation.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It is noted that the use of any and all examples, or exemplary terms provided herein is intended merely to better illuminate the disclosure and is not a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise specified. Further, unless defined otherwise, all terms defined in generally used dictionaries may not be overly interpreted.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating a second sub-circuit included in the first circuit of FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a semiconductor circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first circuit 100 , a second circuit 200 and a latch circuit 300 .

The first circuit 100 may determine a logic level of a node NET 2 and a logic level of a node NET 0 , on the basis of a logic level of input data D, a logic level of a clock signal CLK and a logic level of a node NET 1 .

The second circuit 200 may determine the logic level of a node NET 1 , on the basis of the logic level of the clock signal CLK, the logic level of the node NET 2 and the logic level of the node NET 0 .

The latch circuit may determine a logic level of an output terminal OUT on the basis of the logic level of the clock signal CLK and the logic level of the node NET 0 .

At this time, a part of the output of the first circuit 100 may be used as an input of the second circuit 200 and a part of the output of the second circuit 200 may be used as an output of the first circuit 100 . The first circuit 100 , the second circuit 200 and the latch circuit 300 may operate as a flip-flop. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first circuit 100 and the second circuit 200 may include a gate of an Or-And-Inverter (OAI) structure. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the detailed description thereof will be provided below.

Specifically, the first circuit 100 includes a first sub-circuit 110 and a second sub-circuit 120 .

The first sub-circuit 110 includes a transistor PE 1 gated to an inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 1 to pull up the node NET 0 , a transistor PE 2 which is connected in parallel with the transistor PE 1 and is gated to an inverted value of the logic level of the clock signal CLK to pull up the node NET 0 , and a transistor NE 1 gated to the logic level of the clock signal CLK to connect the node NET 0 and the node NET 2 .

At this time, the transistor NE 1 may be located between the node NET 0 and the node NET 2 , and may transmit the logic level of the node NET 0 to the node NET 2 when turned on. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, as illustrated, one side of some of the transistors PE 1 , PE 2 may be connected to the power source voltage VDD, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Also, some of the transistors PE 1 , PE 2 , for example, may be made up of a PMOS transistor and the remaining transistor NE 1 , for example, may be made up of an NMOS transistor, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Further, the first sub-circuit 110 may further include a transistor PE 3 gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 0 to pull up the node NET 3 , and a transistor NE 2 gated to the logic level of the node NET 0 to pull down the node NET 3 . Here, the transistor PE 3 and the transistor NE 2 may operate as an inverter (corresponding to G 1 in FIG. 2 ). Therefore, the node NET 0 and the node NET 3 may have the logic levels opposed to each other. Inverter G 3 and NAND gate G 2 , within FIG. 2 , correspond to transistors NE 1 and PE 2 within FIG. 1 . And NAND gate G 6 , within FIG. 2 , corresponds to transistors N 1 , N 2 , and N 3 within FIG. 1 .

In this embodiment, as illustrated, the transistors PE 3 , NE 2 may be connected in series between a power source voltage VDD and a ground voltage, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Also, some transistor PE 3 , for example, may be made up of a PMOS transistor, and the remaining transistor NE 2 , for example, may be made up of an NMOS transistor, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The second sub-circuit 120 includes a gate G 5 which performs an OR operation of the logic level of the input data D and the logic level of the node NET 3 , and a gate G 4 which performs a NAND operation of the logic level of the output of the gate G 5 and the logic level of the node NET 1 to transmit an output value to the node NET 2 . That is, the second sub-circuit 120 may be an OAI circuit which transmits the output values to the node NET 2 , on the basis of the logic level of the input data D, the logic level of the node NET 3 and the logic level of the node NET 1 . However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The output value transmitted to the node NET 2 may be input to the second circuit 100 as an input and may be connected to one end of the transistor NE 1 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

More specifically, referring to FIGS. 1 and 3 , the second sub-circuit 120 may include a sub transistor PG 2 gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 3 to provide a power source voltage VDD, a sub-transistor PG 3 which is connected in series to the sub-transistor PG 2 and is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the input data D, and a sub-transistor PG 1 which is connected in parallel to the sub-transistor PG 2 and the sub-transistor PG 3 connected in series with each other and is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 1 to pull up the node NET 2 .

Further, the second sub-circuit 120 may further include a sub-transistor NG 3 which is gated to the logic level of the node NET 1 to transmit a ground voltage to the node NET 2 , a sub-transistor NG 1 which is connected between the sub-transistor NG 3 and the node NET 2 and is gated to the logic level of the input data D, and a sub-transistor NG 2 which is connected in parallel to the sub-transistor NG 1 and is gated to the logic level of the node NET 3 .

At this time, the node NET 2 may be pre-charged, when the transistor PG 1 is turned on or when the transistor PG 2 and the transistor PG 3 is turned on. That is, the node NET 2 may have a logic high level (hereinafter, referred to as a high level H). In contrast, the node NET 2 may be discharged, when the transistor NG 1 or the transistor NG 2 is turned on and at the same time the transistor NG 3 is turned on. That is, the node NET 2 may have a logic low level (hereinafter, referred to as a low level L).

Here, the high level H means a logic level of a reference level or higher, and the low level L may mean a logic level of the reference level or less. For example, the high level H means a case of having a value higher than 50% of the logic level, and the low level L may mean a case of having a value less than 50% of the logic level. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the size of the reference level may be variously changed. Hereinafter, the logic level of the semiconductor circuit will be described as a high level H and a low level L on the basis of this.

In this embodiment, as illustrated, the transistors PG 1 , PG 2 , PG 3 , NG 1 , NG 2 , NG 3 may be connected in series or in parallel between the power source voltage VDD and the ground voltage, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Also, some of the transistors PG 1 , PG 2 , PG 3 , for example, may be made up of a PMOS transistor, and the remaining transistors NG 1 , NG 2 , NG 3 , for example, may be made up of an NMOS transistor, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Further, in this embodiment, the configuration of the second sub-circuit 120 is configured as illustrated in FIG. 3 , using the transistors PG 1 , PG 2 , PG 3 and the transistors NG 1 , NG 2 , NG 3 , but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. As long as a circuit performs the OR operation of the logic level of the input data D and the logic level of the node NET 3 , and performs the NAND operation of the logic level of the output of the OR operation and the logic level of the node NET 1 to transmit the output values to the node NET 2 , its detailed configuration may be variously modified as needed.

The second circuit 100 may include a transistor P 1 gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the clock signal CLK to pull up the node NET 1 , a transistor P 2 which is connected in parallel to the transistor P 1 and is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 0 to pull up the node NET 1 , a transistor N 1 which is gated to the logic level of the node NET 0 to transmit the logic level of the node NET 1 , a transistor N 2 which is connected in series to the transistor N 1 and is gated to the logic level of the node NET 2 , and a transistor N 3 which is connected in series to the transistor N 2 and is gated to the logic level of the clock signal CLK to transmit the ground voltage.

At this time, the node NET 1 may be pre-charged, when the transistor P 1 is turned on or the transistor P 2 is turned on. That is, the node NET 1 may have a logic high level (a logic value ‘1’). In contrast, the node NET 1 may be discharged, when all the transistors N 1 to N 3 are turned on. That is, the node NET 2 may have a logic low level (a logic value ‘0’).

For example, when the logic level of the clock signal CLK is a low level L or the logic level of the node NET 0 is a low level L, the node NET 1 may be pre-charged. Meanwhile, when the logic level of the clock signal CLK is a high level H, the logic level of the node NET 0 is a high level H, and the logic level of the node NET 2 is a high level H, the node NET 1 may be discharged. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, as illustrated, the transistors P 1 , P 2 , N 1 , N 2 , N 3 may be connected in series or in parallel between the power source voltage VDD and the ground voltage, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Also, some of the transistors P 1 , P 2 , for example, are made up of a PMOS transistor, and the remaining transistors N 1 , N 2 , N 3 , for example, may be made up of an NMOS transistor, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and some other embodiments of the second circuit 100 will be described below.

The latch circuit 300 includes a latch transistor PL 1 which is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 0 to pull up the node NET 4 , a latch transistor PL 2 which is connected to the power source VDD at one side and is gated to the logic level of the node NET 4 , a latch transistor PL 3 which is connected in series to the latch transistor PL 2 at one side, is connected to the node NET 4 at the other side and is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the clock signal CLK, and an inverter I 1 which inverts the logic level of the node NET 4 and transmits it to the output terminal OUT.

Further, the latch circuit 300 may further include a latch transistor NL 1 which is connected between the node NET 3 and the node NET 4 and is gated to the logic level of the clock signal CLK, and a latch transistor NL 2 which is connected in parallel to the latch transistor NL 1 and is gated to the inverted value, inverted by inverter 12 , of the logic level of the node NET 4 .

In this embodiment, as illustrated, the transistors PL 1 , PL 2 , PL 3 , NL 1 , NL 2 may be connected in series or in parallel between the power source voltage VDD and the node NET 3 , but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Also, some of the transistors PL 1 , PL 2 , PL 3 , for example, are made up of a PMOS transistor, and the remaining transistors NL 1 , NL 2 , for example, may be made up of an NMOS transistor, but the present disclosure it is not limited thereto.

Further, in this embodiment, the configuration of the latch circuit 300 is configured as illustrated in FIG. 1 using the transistors PL 1 , PL 2 , PL 3 and the transistors NL 1 , NL 2 , but the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and as long as a circuit is configured so that each time the clock signal CLK rises (e.g., a positive edge), the logic level of the node NET 0 is transmitted to the output terminal OUT, and the circuit value is maintained in the output terminal OUT in a section in which the clock signal CLK does not rise, its detailed configuration may be variously modified as needed.

The present disclosure is configured so that the first circuit 100 is used for operation of the flip-flop, some of the transistors included in the second sub-circuit 120 are shared by directly connecting the node NET 2 of the second sub-circuits 120 serving as an output terminal included in the first circuit 100 to the first sub-circuit 110 , and a discharge path is integrated.

Thus, in the semiconductor circuit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of transistors to be used may be reduced, and the area required for forming the circuit may be reduced. Thus, the cost of manufacturing of the semiconductor circuit is reduced, and the efficiency of the use area may be increased. In addition, it is possible to achieve the low power consumption, while maintaining the performance of the flip-flop.

FIGS. 4 to 7 are timing charts for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the semiconductor circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the inverted value of the logic level of the input data D may be transmitted to the output terminal OUT each time the clock signal CLK rises. That is, the logic level of the output terminal OUT may be varied at a positive edge of the clock signal CLK. The value of the logic level of the output terminal OUT may be maintained at a section other than the positive edge the clock signal CLK. Consequently, when the clock signal CLK is at the high level H, the logic level of the output terminal OUT may have a value opposite to the logic level of the input data D. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit based on the case where the logic level of the input data D is the low level L.

Specifically, the operation of the circuit at a time ta 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4 . The logic level of the input data D is the low level L, and the logic level of the clock signal CLK is the low level L.

In the first sub-circuit 110 , since the logic level of the clock signal CLK is the low level L, the transistor PE 2 gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the clock signal CLK is turned on to pre-charge the node NET 0 . At this time, the logic level of the node NET 0 may be at a high level H.

Thus, the transistor NE 2 gated to the logic level of the node NET 0 is turned on to discharge the node NET 3 . At this time, the logic level of the node NET 3 may become a low level L.

In the second circuit 100 , since the logic level of the clock signal CLK is the low level L, the transistor P 1 gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the clock signal CLK is turned on to pre-charge the node NET 1 . At this time, the logic level of the node NET 1 may become a high level H.

In the second sub-circuit 120 , the gate G 5 performs the OR operation of the logic level of the input data D (low level L) and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 3 and transmits the low level L to the gate G 4 .

The gate G 4 performs the NAND operation of the logic level (low level L) of the output of the gate G 5 and the logic level (high level H) of the node NET 1 and transmits an output value (high level H) to the node NET 2 .

That is, in a state in which the logic level of the clock signal CLK is the low level, both the node NET 0 and the node NET 1 are pre-charged, and the node NET 3 is discharged. The value of the node NET 2 becomes a high level H. The node NET 4 of the latch circuit 300 is pre-charged, and the logic level of the output terminal OUT is maintained at a low level L.

Subsequently, at a time ta 2 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK rises from the low level L to the high level H. Thus, the transistor NE 1 is turned on, and the logic level of the node NET 2 may be transmitted to the node NET 0 . That is, in other words, the logic levels of the node NET 2 and the node NET 0 may be the same.

Thus, as the transistor P 1 of the second circuit 100 is turned off and the transistors N 1 , N 2 , N 3 are turned on, the node NET 1 may be discharged. That is, the node NET 1 is discharged when the logic level of the clock signal CLK is the high level H, and it may have a low level L.

In the latch circuit 300 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK becomes a high level H, the transistor NL 1 is turned on, and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 3 is transmitted to the node NET 4 . Therefore, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is determined as the high level H which is the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 4 .

Subsequently, at a time ta 3 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK is converted from the high level H into the low level L. Thus, the node NET 1 is pre-charged again. However, regardless of the pre-charge of the node NET 1 , the constant value of the node NET 0 is maintained, and the logic level of the output terminal OUT maintains the same value.

Subsequently, since there is no change in the signal at a time ta 4 , the constant value is maintained, and each node may have the same value as the time ta 1 .

Subsequently, the semiconductor circuit may be operated at a time ta 5 in the same manner as in the time ta 2 and the semiconductor circuit may be operated at a time ta 6 in the same manner as in the time ta 3 .

Consequently, in the semiconductor circuit of the present disclosure, each time the clock signal CLK rises (e.g., when changing from the low level L to the high level H), the logic level of the node NET 2 becomes the same as the logic level of the node NET 0 , and the logic level of the node NET 0 may be transmitted to the output terminal OUT. Further, in a section in which the clock signal CLK does not rise, the value of the output terminal OUT may be maintained.

Furthermore, the logic level of the input data D has a value different from the logic level of the node NET 2 . In a section in which the clock signal CLK is at a high level H, the logic level of the node NET 1 has a value different from the logic level of the node NET 0 . However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit, on the basis of a case where the logic level of the input data D is the high level H. For convenience of description, the repeated description of the same matters as the contents described with reference to FIG. 4 will be omitted and the differences will be mainly described.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5 , at a time tb 1 , the logic level of the input data D is the high level H, and the logic level of the clock signal CLK is the low level L.

In the first sub-circuit 110 , since the logic level of the clock signal CLK is the low level L, the transistor PE 2 gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the clock signal CLK is turned on to pre-charge the node NET 0 . Similarly, the transistor P 1 gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the clock signal CLK is turned on to pre-charge the node NET 1 . At this time, all of the logic levels of the node NET 0 and the node NET 1 may become a high level H.

Thus, the transistor NE 2 gated to the logic level of the node NET 0 is turned on to discharge the node NET 3 . At this time, the logic level of the node NET 3 may become a low level L.

At this time, in the second sub-circuit 120 , the gate G 5 performs the OR operation of the logic level (high level H) of the input data D and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 3 and transmits the high level H to the gate G 4 . The gate G 4 performs the NAND operation of the logic level (high level H) of the output of the gate G 5 , and the logic level (high level H) of the node NET 1 , and transmits the output value (low level L) to the node NET 2 .

That is, when the logic level of the input data D is the high level H, the logic level the node NET 2 has a value opposite to the logic level of the node NET 1 .

Subsequently, at a time tb 2 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK rises from the low level L to the high level H. Thus, the transistor NE 1 is turned on, and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 2 may be transmitted to the node NET 0 .

At this time, in the second sub-circuit 120 , the transistor NG 1 gated to the logic level of the input data D, and the transistor NG 3 gated to the node NET 1 are turned on, and the node NET 2 may be discharged.

Therefore, the logic level of the node NET 0 is discharged by the second sub-circuit 120 and may become a low level L. The node NET 1 may be maintained at the high level H by turning-on of the transistor P 1 .

In the latch circuit 300 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK becomes a high level H, the transistor NL 1 is turned on, and the logic level (high level H) of the node NET 3 is transmitted to the node NET 4 . Therefore, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is determined as a low level L which is an inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 4 .

Subsequently, at a time tb 3 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK is converted from the high level H into the low level L. Thus, the transistor PE 2 is turned on, the transistor NE 1 is turned off, and the node NET 0 is pre-charged again. The logic level of the output terminal OUT is maintained at the same value.

Subsequently, since there is no change in the signal at the time tb 4 , the constant value is maintained, and each node may have the same value as the time tb 1 .

Subsequently, the semiconductor circuit may be operated at the time tb 5 in the same manner as the time tb 2 and the semiconductor circuit may be operated at the time tb 6 in the same manner as the time tb 3 .

FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit based on a case where the logic level of the input data D rises from the low level L to the high level H. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the same matters as the contents described above are not described, and the differences will be mainly described.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6 , the operation of the semiconductor circuit at the times tc 1 , tc 2 , tc 3 may be substantially the same as the operation at the times ta 1 , ta 2 , ta 3 described referring to FIG. 4 .

That is, at the time tc 2 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK rises from the low level L to the high level H. The transistor NE 1 is turned on, the logic level of the node NET 2 may be transmitted to the node NET 0 . That is, in other words, the logic levels of the node NET 2 and the node NET 0 become identical to each other.

Thus, as the transistor P 1 of the second circuit 100 is turned off and the transistors N 1 , N 2 , N 3 are turned on, the node NET 1 may be discharged. That is, the node NET 1 is discharged while the logic level of the clock signal CLK is the high level H, and it may have a low level L.

In the latch circuit 300 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK becomes a high level H, the transistor NL 1 is turned on, and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 3 is transmitted to the node NET 4 . Therefore, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is determined as the high level H which is the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 4 .

Subsequently, at the time tc 3 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK is converted from the high level H into the low level L. Accordingly, the transistor P 1 is turned on, the transistor N 3 is turned off, and the node NET 1 is pre-charged again.

However, at the time tc 4 , the logic level of the input data D may be converted from the low level L into the high level H.

At this time, the transistor NE 2 gated to the logic level of the node NET 0 is turned on to discharge the node NET 3 . At this time, the logic level of the node NET 3 becomes a low level L.

At this time, in the second sub-circuit 120 , the gate G 5 performs the OR operation of the logic level (high level H) of the input data D and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 3 and transmits the high level H to the gate G 4 . The gate G 4 performs the NAND operation of the logic level (high level H) of the output of the gate G 5 , and the logic level (high level H) of the node NET 1 , and transmits the output value (low level L) to the node NET 2 . That is, as the logic level of the input data D is converted into the high level H, the logic level of the node NET 2 is converted into the low level L. However, since the logic level of the clock signal CLK does not change, the logic level of the node NET 2 is not transmitted to the output terminal OUT.

Subsequently, at the time tc 5 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK rises from the low level L to the high level H, the transistor NE 1 is turned on, and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 2 may be transmitted to the node NET 0 .

At this time, in the second sub-circuit 120 , the transistor NG 1 gated to the logic level of the input data D, and the transistor NG 3 gated to the node NET 1 are turned on, and the node NET 2 may be discharged.

Therefore, the logic level of the node NET 0 is discharged by the second sub-circuit 120 and may become a low level L. The node NET 1 may be maintained at a high level H, by turning-on of the transistor P 1 .

In the latch circuit 300 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK becomes a high level H, the transistor NL 1 is turned on, and the logic level (high level H) of the node NET 3 is transmitted to the node NET 4 . Therefore, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is determined as the low level L which is the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 4 .

Subsequently, at the time tc 6 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK is converted from the high level H into the low level L. Thus, the transistor PE 1 is turned on, the transistor NE 1 is turned off, and the node NET 0 is pre-charged again. The logic level of the output terminal OUT is maintained at the same value.

FIG. 7 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit based on the case where the logic level of the input data D is converted from the high level H into the low level L. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the repeated description of the same matters as the contents described above are not described, and the differences will be mainly described.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 7 , the operation of the semiconductor circuit at the times td 1 , td 2 , td 3 are substantially the same as the operation at the times tb 1 , tb 2 , tb 3 described referring to FIG. 5 .

That is, at the time td 2 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK rises from the low level L to the high level H, the transistor NE 1 is turned on, and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 2 may be transmitted to the node NET 0 .

At this time, in the second sub-circuit 120 , the transistor NG 1 gated to the logic level of the input data D, and the transistor NG 3 gated to the node NET 1 are turned on, and the node NET 2 may be discharged.

Therefore, the logic level of the node NET 0 is discharged by the second sub-circuit 120 and may become a low level L. The node NET 1 may be maintained at a high level H by turning-on of the transistor P 1 .

In the latch circuit 300 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK becomes a high level H, the transistor NL 1 is turned on, and the logic level (high level H) of the node NET 3 is transmitted to the node NET 4 . Therefore, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is determined as the low level L which is an inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 4 .

Subsequently, at the time td 3 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK is converted from the high level H into the low level L. Thus, the transistor PE 1 is turned on, the transistor NE 1 is turned off, and the node NET 0 is pre-charged again. The logic level of the output terminal OUT is maintained at the same value.

However, at the time td 4 , the logic level of the input data D may be converted from the high level H into the low level L.

The transistor NE 2 gated to the logic level of the node NET 0 is turned on to discharge the node NET 3 . At this time, the logic level of the node NET 3 becomes a low level L.

Next, in the second sub-circuit 120 , the gate G 5 performs the OR operation of the logic level (low level L) of the input data D, and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 3 , and transmits the low level L to the gate G 4 . The gate G 4 performs the NAND operation of the logic level (low level L) of the output of the gate G 5 , and the logic level (high level H) of the node NET 1 , and transmits the output value (high level H) to the node NET 2 . That is, as the logic level of the input data D is converted into the low level L, the logic level of the node NET 2 is converted into the high level H. However, since the logic level of the clock signal CLK does not change, the logic level of the node NET 2 is not transmitted to the output terminal OUT.

Subsequently, at the time td 5 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK rises from the low level L to the high level H. The transistor NE 1 is turned on, and the logic level of the node NET 2 may be transmitted to the node NET 0 . That is, in other words, the logic levels of the node NET 2 and the node NET 0 become identical to each other.

Thus, as the transistor P 1 of the second circuit 100 is turned off, and the transistors N 1 , N 2 , N 3 are turned on, the node NET 1 may be discharged. That is, the node NET 1 is discharged while the logic level of the clock signal CLK is the high level H, and it may have a low level L.

In the latch circuit 300 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK becomes a high level H, the transistor NL 1 is turned on, and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 3 is transmitted to the node NET 4 . Therefore, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is determined as the high level H which is the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 4 .

Subsequently, at the time td 6 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK is converted from the high level H into the low level L. Accordingly, the transistor P 1 is turned on, the transistor N 1 is turned off, and the node NET 1 is pre-charged again.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the same matters as the contents described above are not described, and the differences will be mainly described.

Referring to FIG. 8 , a semiconductor circuit according to another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first circuit 100 , a second circuit 210 and a latch circuit 300 . The first circuit 100 includes a first sub-circuit 110 and a second sub-circuit 122 . The semiconductor circuit according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may include substantially the same structure as the semiconductor circuit described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 .

However, in the semiconductor circuit according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the second sub-circuit 122 and the second circuit 210 further include a transistor to which a scan enable signal SE and a scan input signal SIN are additionally input.

Specifically, the second sub-circuit 122 may include the gate G 5 and the gate G 4 . The gate G 5 may perform the OR operation of the logic level of the input data D, the logic level of the node NET 3 , and the logic level of the scan enable signal SE. The gate G 4 performs the NAND operation of the logic level of the output of the gate G 5 and the logic level of the node NET 1 , and may transmit the output values to the node NET 2 .

The second circuit 210 may include a transistor P 3 which is connected in series to the transistor P 1 and is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the scan enable signal SE, and a transistor P 4 which is connected in parallel to the transistor P 3 and is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the scan input signal SIN.

Furthermore, the second circuit 210 may further include a transistor N 4 which is connected to one end M 1 of the transistor N 1 and is gated to the logic level of the scan enable signal SE, and a transistor N 5 which is connected in series to the transistor N 4 and is gated to the logic level of the scan input signal SIN.

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the same matters as the contents described above referring to FIG. 8 are not described, and the differences will be mainly described.

Referring to FIG. 9 , a semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first circuit 100 , a second circuit 220 and a latch circuit 300 . The first circuit 100 includes a first sub-circuit 110 and a second sub-circuit 122 . The semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure may include substantially the same structure as the semiconductor circuit described above with reference to FIG. 8 .

However, the second circuit 220 of the semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure may include a transistor N 6 rather than the transistor N 1 .

Specifically, the second circuit 220 may further include a transistor N 6 which is connected to the node NET 1 at one end and is gated to the logic level of the node NET 0 , a transistor N 4 which is connected in series to the transistor N 6 and is gated to the logic level of the scan enable signal SE, and a transistor N 5 which is connected in series to the transistor N 4 and is gated to the logic level of the scan input signal SIN.

The semiconductor circuit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure described referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 is configured so that the first circuit 100 is used for operation of the flip-flop, and by directly connecting the node NET 2 serving as the output terminal of the second sub-circuit 122 included in the first circuit 100 to the first sub-circuit 110 , some transistors included in the second sub-circuits 120 are shared, and the discharge path is integrated. Thus, in the semiconductor circuit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of the used transistors is reduced, and the area required for forming the circuit may be reduced. Thus, the cost of manufacturing of the semiconductor circuit is reduced, and the efficiency of the use area may be increased. In addition, it is possible to achieve the low power consumption, while maintaining the performance of the flip-flop.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are timing charts for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the same matters as in the embodiments described above are not described, and the differences will be mainly described.

The semiconductor circuit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may be operated in the substantially same manner as the semiconductor circuit described referring to FIGS. 4 to 7 , when the scan enable signal SE is non-activated (low level L).

However, when the scan enable signal SE is activated (high level H), in the semiconductor circuit, the logic level of the output terminal OUT may change by the scan input signal SIN instead of the input data D.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit based on the case where the logic level of the scan input signal SIN is the high level H.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 10 , in the case of the times te 1 , te 2 , te 3 , they may be substantially the same as the operation of the semiconductor circuit at the times tb 1 , tb 2 , tb 3 described referring to FIG. 5 .

However, at the time te 4 , the logic level of the scan enable signal SE is the high level H. At this time, the node NET 1 may be pre-charged when all the transistors P 1 , P 4 are turned on. That is, the node NET 1 is pre-charged only when all of the logic levels of the scan input signal SIN and the logic level of the clock signal CLK are the low levels L.

That is, when the logic level of the scan enable signal SE is the high level H, the node NET 1 is pre-charged when all of the logic levels of the scan input signal SIN and the logic level of the clock signal CLK are the low level L. Moreover, when the logic level of the scan enable signal SE is the low level L, regardless of the logic level of the scan input signal SIN, the node NET 1 is pre-charged when the logic level of the clock signal CLK is the low level L.

In the second sub-circuit 122 , since the gate G 5 performs the OR operation of the logic level (high level H) of the scan enable signal SE, the logic level of the input data D and the logic level of the node NET 3 , it transmits the high level H to the gate G 4 . The gate G 4 performs the NAND operation of the logic level (high level H) of the output of the gate G 5 , and the logic level of the node NET 1 , and transmits the output values to the node NET 2 . That is, the logic level of the node NET 2 becomes opposite to the logic level of the node NET 1 .

As the transistor P 4 gated by the inverted value of the logic level of the scan input signal SIN is non-activated, the node NET 1 is not pre-charged, and as the transistors N 1 , N 4 , N 5 are turned on, the node NET 1 is discharged. Therefore, the node NET 1 has a logic level of the low level L, and the node NET 2 has a logic level of the high level H. However, since the logic level of the clock signal CLK does not change, the logic level of the node NET 2 is not transmitted to the output terminal OUT.

Subsequently, at the time te 5 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK rises from the low level L to the high level H, the transistor NE 1 is turned on, the logic level (high level H) of the node NET 2 may be transmitted to the node NET 0 . In addition, the logic level of the node NET 3 becomes a low level L which is the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 0 .

In the latch circuit 300 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK becomes a high level H, the transistor NL 1 is turned on, the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 3 is transmitted to the node NET 4 . Therefore, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is determined as the high level H which is the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 4 .

Subsequently, at the time te 6 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK is converted from the high level H into the low level L. At this time, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is maintained at the same value.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit, based on the case where the logic level of the scan input signal SIN is the low level L.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 11 , in the case of the times tf 1 , tf 2 , tf 3 , they may be substantially the same as the operation of the semiconductor circuit at the times ta 1 , ta 2 , ta 3 described referring to FIG. 4 .

However, at the time tf 4 , the logic level of the scan enable signal SE is the high level H. At this time, the node NET 1 may be pre-charged when the transistors P 1 and P 4 are turned on.

In the second sub-circuit 122 , since the gate G 5 performs the OR operation of the logic level (high level H) of the scan enable signal SE, the logic level of the input data D and the logic level of the node NET, it transmits the high level H to the gate G 4 . The gate G 4 performs the NAND operation of the logic level (high level H) of the output of the gate G 5 and the logic level of the node NET 1 , and transmits the output value to the node NET 2 . That is, the logic level of the node NET 2 becomes opposite to the logic level of the node NET 1 .

As the transistor P 1 gated by the inverted value of the logic level of the clock signal CLK is activated, the node NET 1 is pre-charged. Therefore, the node NET 1 has a logic level of the high level H, and the node NET 2 has a logic level of the low level L. However, since the logic level of the clock signal CLK does not change, the logic level of the node NET 2 is not transmitted to the output terminal OUT.

Subsequently, at the time tf 5 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK rises from the low level L to the high level H, the transistor NE 1 is turned on, and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 2 may be transmitted to the node NET 0 . In addition, the logic level of the node NET 3 becomes a high level H which is the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 0 .

In the latch circuit 300 , as the logic level of the clock signal CLK becomes a high level H, the transistor NL 1 is turned on, and the logic level (high level H) of the node NET 3 is transmitted to the node NET 4 . Therefore, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is determined as the low level L which is the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 4 .

Subsequently, at the time tf 6 , the logic level of the clock signal CLK is converted from the high level H to the low level L. At this time, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is maintained at the same value.

Consequently, in another semiconductor circuit of the present disclosure, each time the clock signal CLK rises (e.g., when changing from the low level L to the high level H), the logic level of the node NET 2 becomes the same as the logic level of the node NET 0 , and the logic level of the node NET 0 may be transmitted to the output terminal OUT. Further, in a section in which the clock signal CLK does not rise, the value of the output terminal OUT may be maintained.

However, when the scan enable signal SE is activated, the semiconductor circuit may be operated in a test mode for the scanning operation, and the output value of the output terminal OUT may change, based on the scan input signal SIN in place of the input data D. For example, when the scan input signal SIN is at a low level L, at a positive edge of the clock signal CLK, the logic level of the output terminal OUT may be converted from the high level H to the low level L. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and when the scan input signal SIN is at a low level L, at a positive edge of the clock signal CLK, the logic level of the output terminal OUT may be converted from the low level L to the high level H.

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the same matters as the contents described above with reference to FIG. 8 are not described, and the differences will be mainly described.

Referring to FIG. 12 , the semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first circuit 100 , a second circuit 230 and a latch circuit 310 . The first circuit 100 includes a first sub-circuit 110 and a second sub-circuit 122 . The semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure may include the substantially same structure as the semiconductor circuit described above with reference to FIG. 8 .

However, in the semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the second circuit 230 and the latch circuit 310 further includes a transistor to which a reset signal R is additionally input.

Specifically, the second circuit 230 may further include a reset transistor R 1 which is connected between the transistor P 1 and the node NET 1 and is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the reset signal R, and a reset transistor R 2 which is connected between the node NET 1 and ground and is gated to the logic level of the reset signal R.

Further, the latch circuit 310 may further include a reset transistor R 3 which is connected between the power source VDD and the latch transistor PL 2 and is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the reset signal R, and a reset transistor R 4 which is connected in parallel to the latch transistor NL 1 and is gated to the logic level of the reset signal R to discharge the node NET 4 .

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the same matters as in the embodiment described above referring to FIG. 9 are not described, and the differences will be mainly described.

Referring to FIG. 13 , a semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first circuit 100 , a second circuit 240 and a latch circuit 310 . The semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure may include substantially the same structure as the semiconductor circuit described with reference to FIG. 9 .

However, in the semiconductor circuit according to still another embodiment of the present disclosure, the second circuit 230 and the latch circuit 310 further include a transistor to which a reset signal R is additionally input.

Specifically, the second circuit 240 may further include a reset transistor R 1 which is connected between the transistor P 1 and the node NET 1 and is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the reset signal R, and a reset transistor R 2 which is connected between the node NET 1 and ground and is gated to the logic level of the reset signal R.

Further, the latch circuit 310 may further include a reset transistor R 3 which is connected between the power source VDD and the latch transistor PL 2 and is gated to the inverted value of the logic level of the reset signal R, and a reset transistor R 4 which is connected in parallel to the latch transistor NL 1 and is gated to the logic level of the reset signal R to discharge the node NET 4 .

FIG. 14 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, the same matters as the embodiments described above are not described, and the differences will be mainly described.

The semiconductor circuit according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may be operated in the substantially same manner as the semiconductor circuit described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7 , when the reset signal R is non-activated (low level L).

However, when the reset signal R is activated (high level H), the logic level of the output terminal OUT of the semiconductor circuit may immediately become a high level H, regardless of whether the clock signal CLK rises.

FIG. 14 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the semiconductor circuit, based on a case where the logic level of the input data D is the high level H. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 14 , in the case of the times tg 1 , tg 2 , tg 3 , they may be substantially the same as the operation of the semiconductor circuit at the times tb 1 , tb 2 , tb 3 described referring to FIG. 5 .

However, at the time tg 4 , the logic level of the reset signal R is the high level H. At this time, the node NET 1 is discharged by the turning-on of the reset transistor R 2 .

In the second sub-circuit 122 , since the gate G 5 performs the OR operation of the logic level of the scan enable signal SE, the logic level (high level H) of the input data D and the logic level of the node NET 3 , it transmits the high level H to the gate G 4 . The gate G 4 performs the NAND operation of the logic level (high level H) of the output of the gate G 5 and the logic level of the node NET 1 , and transmits the output value to the node NET 2 . That is, the logic level of the node NET 2 becomes opposite to the logic level of the node NET 1 .

The node NET 1 is discharged as the reset signal R is activated. Therefore, the node NET 1 has a logic level of the low level L, and the node NET 2 has a logic level of the high level H.

The node NET 0 is pre-charged by the transistor PE 1 which is gated to the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 1 . Therefore, the logic level of the node NET 3 has a low level L.

In the latch circuit 310 , as the logic level of the reset signal R becomes a high level H, the reset transistor R 4 is turned on, and the logic level (low level L) of the node NET 3 is transmitted to the node NET 4 . Therefore, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is determined as the high level H which is the inverted value of the logic level of the node NET 4 .

Subsequently, at the time tg 5 and the time tg 6 , since the logic level of the reset signal R is maintained at a high level H, the logic level of the output terminal OUT is maintained at the high level H, regardless of the logic level of the clock signal CLK.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an SoC system which includes the semiconductor circuit according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 15 , an SoC system 1000 includes an application processor 1001 , and a DRAM 1060 .

The application processor 1001 may include a central processing unit 1010 , a multimedia system 1020 , a bus 1030 , a memory system 1040 and a peripheral circuit 1050 .

The central processing unit 1010 may perform the operations required for driving the SoC system 1000 . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the central processing unit 1010 may be constituted by a multi-core environment that includes multiple cores.

The multimedia system 1020 may be used to perform various multimedia functions in the SoC system 1000 . The multi-media system 1020 may include a 3D engine module, a video codec, a display system, a camera system, a post-processor and the like.

The bus 1030 may be used for data communication among the central processing unit 1010 , the multimedia system 1020 , the memory system 1040 and the peripheral circuit 1050 . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the bus 1030 may have a multilayer structure. Specifically, the bus 1030 may be, but is not limited to, a multilayer advanced high-performance bus (AHB) or a multilayer advanced extensible interface (AXI).

The memory system 1040 may provide an environment needed for the application processor 1001 to be connected to an external memory (e.g., the DRAM 1060 ) and to be operated at high speed. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the memory system 1040 may include a separate controller (e.g., a DRAM controller) needed to control the external memory (e.g., the DRAM 1060 ).

The peripheral circuit 1050 may provide an environment needed for the SoC system 1000 to be smoothly connected to an external device (e.g., mainboard). Accordingly, the peripheral circuit 1050 may include various interfaces that enable the external device connected to the SoC system 1000 to be compatible with the SoC system 1000 .

The DRAM 1060 may function as an operating memory needed for the operation of the application processor 1001 . In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the DRAM 1060 may be placed outside the application processor 1001 as illustrated. Specifically, the DRAM 1060 may be packaged with the application processor 1001 in the form of package on package (PoP).

The SoC system 1000 may include at least one of the semiconductor circuits according to the aforementioned embodiments of the present disclosure.

Further, the aforementioned SoC system 1000 may be applied to a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a web tablet, a wireless phone, a mobile phone, a digital music player and a memory card, or all types of electronic products capable of transmitting or receiving information in a wireless environment.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic system including the semiconductor circuit according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 16 , an electronic system 1100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a controller 1110 , an input/output (I/O) device 1120 , a memory device 1130 , an interface 1140 and a bus 1150 . The controller 1110 , the I/O device 1120 , the memory device 1130 and/or the interface 1140 may be connected to one another through the bus 1150 . The bus 1150 corresponds to a path through which the data are moved.

The controller 1110 may include at least one of a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, a microcontroller and logic devices capable of performing similar functions to the elements. The I/O device 1120 may include a keypad, a keyboard and a display device. The memory device 1130 may store data and/or commands. The interface 1140 may serve to transmit data to or receive data from a communication network. The interface 1140 may be a wired or wireless interface. For example, the interface 1140 may include an antenna or a wired or wireless transceiver.

Although not shown in the drawing, the electronic system 1100 may have an operating memory for improving the operation of the controller 1110 , and may further include a high-speed DRAM or SRAM.

The electronic system 1100 may be applied to a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a web tablet, a wireless phone, a mobile phone, a digital music player and a memory card, or all types of electronic products capable of transmitting or receiving information in a wireless environment.

At least one of the semiconductor circuits according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may be adopted as at least one of the components of the electronic system 1100 .

As is traditional in the field, embodiments may be described and illustrated in terms of blocks which carry out a described function or functions. These blocks, which may be referred to herein as units or modules or the like, are physically implemented by analog and/or digital circuits such as logic gates, integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory circuits, passive electronic components, active electronic components, optical components, hardwired circuits and the like, and may optionally be driven by firmware and/or software. The circuits may, for example, be embodied in one or more semiconductor chips, or on substrate supports such as printed circuit boards and the like. The circuits constituting a block may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or by a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuitry), or by a combination of dedicated hardware to perform some functions of the block and a processor to perform other functions of the block. Each block of the embodiments may be physically separated into two or more interacting and discrete blocks without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, the blocks of the embodiments may be physically combined into more complex blocks without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

While the present disclosure has been particularly illustrated and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the following claims. The exemplary embodiments should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.