Patent ID: 8749936

Claim:
A semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate on which an electronic circuit is provided, said electronic circuit having a normal mode and a multiple of non-normal modes having different levels of safety; at least one pad for connecting the electronic circuit to an external device outside the substrate; a current meter which is electrically in contact with at least a part of said substrate and/or said pad, for measuring a parameter forming a measure for an amount of a current flowing between said substrate and at least one of said at least one pad; a control unit connected to said current meter and said electronic circuit, for controlling an operating mode said electronic circuit based on said measured parameter, said control unit including: a selection unit connected to said current meter, for selecting a non-normal mode, when said amount of current is above a safe operating threshold, with a level of safety proportional to said amount of current and a mode-controller connected to said selection unit and, for controlling said electronic circuit to be in said selected non-normal mode.