Patent ID: 7733164
Filing Date: 2010-06-08
Classification: H03H

Abstract:
1. A semiconductor device comprising: a monitoring circuit configured to monitor and detect a quantity of noise in said semiconductor device; a control circuit having capacitances and configured to control connections to said capacitances to provide a decoupling capacitance value between a first power supply and a second power supply that is dynamically adjusted based on the detected noise quantity, wherein said control circuit further includes: a determining circuit configured to generate a capacitance control signal from said detected noise quantity supplied from said monitoring circuit, and a capacitance control circuit having said capacitances and configured to control the connections to said capacitances in response to the capacitance control signal such the decoupling capacitance value provided between the first power supply and the second power supply is dynamically adjusted, wherein said capacitance control circuit further includes a capacitance counter configured to perform a count operation in response to said capacitance control signal, to generate an overflow signal when a count value as a result of the count operation overflows, and to generate a capacitance control end signal when the count value does not overflow, and said determining circuit further includes: a permissible noise counter configured to stop a count operation in response to said capacitance control end signal, and to output a permissible noise quantity which is made larger in response to said overflow signal; and a comparator configured to compare said detected noise quantity and said permissible noise quantity, and to output said capacitance control signal to said capacitance counter of said capacitance control circuit when said detected noise quantity does not fall within said permissible noise quantity.