Protection circuit for semiconductor device and semiconductor device including the same

摘要

A protection circuit comprises: at least one shielded line arranged to cover an area to be protected over a semiconductor device, the at least one shielded line having only one route from a start point to an end point; a signal generator for applying a signal to the start point of the shielded line; a counter which starts measurement of time in response to application of the signal to the start point of the shielded line by the signal generator and which ends measurement of the time in response to arrival of the signal at the end point of the shielded line; and a comparator for comparing the time measured by the counter with a reference value to output a fraud detection signal according to a result of the comparison.