Patent ID: 6859423

Claim:
A semiconductor device comprising: an output circuit; an input circuit that receives an input signal incorrectly depending on an output state of said output circuit; a control circuit for controlling said output circuit and for processing the input signal fed from said input circuit; a threshold control circuit for varying an input threshold voltage of said input circuit in accordance with the output state of said output circuit, wherein said output circuit, said input circuit and said control circuit are different from one another, wherein said input circuit is an inverter circuit, the input threshold voltage of said input circuit being varied by varying the number of transistors constituting said inverter circuit; and wherein said inverter circuit comprises a P-channel MOSFET having a gate connected to an input terminal, having a drain connected to an output terminal, and having a source connected to a supply power potential, a first N-channel MOSFET having a gate connected to the input terminal, having a drain connected to the output terminal, and having a source connected to a ground potential, and a second N-channel MOSFET having a drain connected to the output terminal and having a source connected to the ground potential, a gate of said second N-channel MOSFET being connected through a switch to the input terminal and also connected through a resistor to the ground potential, said switch being controlled to be turned on or off by said threshold control circuit.