Semiconductor device

1. A semiconductor device having a memory unit that does not require a refresh operation, comprising:

memory circuits for storing data, arranged in a matrix form;

first signal lines for reading said data from said memory circuits;

second signal lines for transferring a signal that controls connection between said memory circuits and said first signal lines;

a sense amplifier circuit for reading and determining data by detecting a potential change or a current change in said first signal lines; and

mitigating means for mitigating said potential change or said current change in said first signal lines during a period in which said sense amplifier circuit is being activated, wherein

each of said memory circuits comprises a first inverter and a second inverter that constitute an inverter latch for storing said data, and

said mitigating means comprises a potential control circuit, being arranged between GND and source terminals of NMOSs that constitute said first and second inverters and controlling connection between said source terminal and said GND based on an activating signal for said sense amplifier circuit.

2. A semiconductor device having a memory unit that does not require a refresh operation, comprising:

memory circuits for storing data, arranged in a matrix form;

first signal lines for reading said data from said memory circuits;

second signal lines for transferring a signal that controls connection between said memory circuits and said first signal lines;

a sense amplifier circuit for reading and determining data by detecting a potential change or a current change in said first signal lines; and

mitigating means for mitigating said potential change or said current change in said first signal lines during a period in which said sense amplifier circuit is being activated, wherein

each of said memory circuits comprises a first inverter and a second inverter that constitute an inverter latch for storing said data, and

said mitigating means comprises a potential control circuit, being arranged between source terminals of a PMOSs that constitute said first and second inverters and a power supply and controlling connection between said source terminal and said power supply based on an activating signal for said sense amplifier circuit.

3. A semiconductor device having a memory unit that does not require a refresh operation, comprising:

memory circuits for storing data, arranged in a matrix form;

first signal lines for reading said data from said memory circuits;

second signal lines for transferring a signal that controls connection between said memory circuits and said first signal lines;

a sense amplifier circuit for reading and determining data by detecting a potential change or a current change in said first signal lines; and

mitigating means for mitigating said potential change or said current change in said first signal lines during a period in which said sense amplifier circuit is being activated, wherein

each of said memory circuits comprises a first inverter and a second inverter that constitute an inverter latch for storing said data, and transfer MOS transistors for connecting said first and second inverters to said first signal line, and

said mitigating means comprises a potential control circuit for controlling at least one of a substrate potential of NMOSs that constitute said first and second inverters, and a substrate potential of said transfer MOS transistors, based on an activating signal for said sense amplifier circuit.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 3 , wherein said potential control circuit controls at least one of said substrate potential of said NMOSs that constitute said first and second inverters and said substrate potential of said transfer MOS transistors to be lower than source potentials of NMOSs that constitute said first and second inverters during a period in which said activating signal activates said sense amplifier circuit.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 3 , wherein said potential control circuit controls at least one of said substrate potential of said NMOSs that constitute said first and second inverters and said substrate potential of said transfer MOS transistors so that at least one of said substrate potentials becomes equal to source potentials of said NMOSs that constitute said first and second inverters during a period in which said activating signal activates said sense amplifier circuit, and that at least one of said substrate potentials becomes higher than said source potentials of said NMOSs that constitute said first and second inverters during a period other than said period.

6. A semiconductor device having a memory unit that does not require a refresh operation, comprising:

memory circuits for storing data, arranged in a matrix form;

first signal lines for reading said data from said memory circuits;

second signal lines for transferring a signal that controls connection between said memory circuits and said first signal lines;

a sense amplifier circuit for reading and determining data by detecting a potential change or a current change in said first signal lines; and

mitigating means for mitigating said potential change or said current change in said first signal lines during a period in which said sense amplifier circuit is being activated, wherein

said mitigating means mitigates said potential change or said current change in only first signal lines for which reading is being performed among said first signal lines.

7. A semiconductor device having a memory unit that does not require a refresh operation, comprising:

memory circuits for storing data, arranged in a matrix form;

first signal lines for reading said data from said memory circuits;

second signal lines for transferring a signal that controls connection between said memory circuits and said first signal lines;

a sense amplifier circuit for reading and determining data by detecting a potential change or a current change in said first signal lines; and

mitigating means for mitigating said potential change or said current change in said first signal lines during a period in which said sense amplifier circuit is being activated, wherein

the semiconductor device is formed on an SOI substrate.

8. A semiconductor device comprising:

a plurality of memory cells arranged in a matrix form;

first signal lines for transferring data read out from said memory cells;

second signal lines for transferring a signal that controls electrical connection between said memory cells and said first signal lines;

a sense amplifier circuit for determining data by detecting a change in said first signal lines that occurs based on said data read out from said memory cells in a reading operation; and

a potential control circuit, connected to a predetermined node of said memory cells, for mitigating, based on an activating signal for said sense amplifier circuit, said change in said first signal lines that occurs based on said data read out from said memory cells in said reading operation.

9. A semiconductor device comprising:

a plurality of memory units that do not require a refresh operation; and

a central processing unit for controlling said memory units;

each of said memory units including:

memory circuits for storing data, arranged in a matrix form;

first signal lines for reading said data from said memory circuits;

second signal lines for transferring a signal that controls connection between said memory circuits and said first signal lines;

a sense amplifier circuit for reading and determining data by detecting a potential change or a current change in said first signal line; and

mitigating means for mitigating said potential change or said current change in said first signal lines during a period in which said sense amplifier circuit is being activated,

wherein said mitigating means mitigates said potential change or said current change in said first signal lines even when a memory unit selecting signal supplied from said central processing unit to said memory units is in an unselected state.

10. A semiconductor device having a memory unit that does not require a refresh operation, comprising:

memory circuits for storing data, arranged in a matrix form;

first signal lines for reading said data from said memory circuits;

second signal lines for transferring a signal that controls connection between said memory circuits and said first signal lines;

a sense amplifier circuit for reading and determining data by detecting a potential change or a current change in said first signal lines; and

mitigating means for mitigating said potential change or said current change in said first signal lines during a period in which said sense amplifier circuit is being activated, wherein

the semiconductor device is formed on an SOI substrate having electrically coupled P regions and electrically coupled N regions along a column direction in which said memory circuits are formed.

11. The semiconductor device according to claim 9 , being formed on an SOI substrate having electrically coupled P regions and electrically coupled N regions along a column direction in which said memory circuits are formed.

12. A semiconductor device having a memory unit that does not require a refresh operation, comprising:

memory circuits for storing data, arranged in a matrix form;

first signal lines for reading said data from said memory circuits;

second signal lines for transferring a signal that controls connection between said memory circuits and said first signal lines;

a sense amplifier circuit for reading and determining data by detecting a potential change or a current change in said first signal lines; and

mitigating means for mitigating said potential change or said current change in said first signal lines during a period in which said sense amplifier circuit is being activated, wherein

said first signal lines extend along a column direction of said plurality of memory circuits arranged in a matrix form, and

said mitigating means is provided correspondingly to said plurality of memory circuits arranged in said column direction, and is arranged on said first signal lines in said column direction.

13. The semiconductor device according to claim 9 , wherein

said first signal lines extend along a column direction of said plurality of memory circuits arranged in a matrix form, and

said mitigating means is provided correspondingly to said plurality of memory circuits arranged in said column direction, and is arranged on said first signal lines in said column direction.

14. The semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein

said first signal lines are connected to said plurality of memory circuits and said sense amplifier circuit in this order, and

said mitigating means is connected to said first signal lines in said column direction in which said sense amplifier circuit is arranged, when viewed from a side on which said plurality of memory circuits are arranged.

15. The semiconductor device according to claim 13 , wherein

said first signal lines are connected to said plurality of memory circuits and said sense amplifier circuit in this order, and

said mitigating means is connected to said first signal lines in said column direction in which said sense amplifier circuit is arranged, when viewed from a side on which said plurality of memory circuits are arranged.