Granted Patent B2

US 7,573,767 · App. 11/882,827 · Granted Aug 11, 2009

Abstract

Claims (17)

1. A semiconductor memory device in which a memory cell array including a plurality of memory cells formed at intersections between a plurality of word lines and a plurality of bit lines, comprising:

a plurality of unit blocks into which the memory cell array is divided;

a plurality of rows of sense amplifiers arranged at one end and the other end of the plurality of bit lines in said unit block and each including a plurality of sense amplifiers for amplifying data of the memory cells for each bit line pair;

switch means for switching a connection state between said unit block and said row of sense amplifiers attached to said unit block; and

control means for controlling said switch means so as to form a transfer path from said row of sense amplifiers attached to a predetermined said unit block leading to said row of sense amplifiers as a saving destination not attached to the predetermined said unit block, in a state in which said row of sense amplifiers attached to the predetermined said unit block is controlled to be used as a cache memory, for performing a saving operation so that the stored data in the cache memory is saved in said row of sense amplifiers as the saving destination through the transfer path, and for performing a write back operation so that the stored data is written back into the cache memory through the transfer path in reverse direction.

2. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein said control means performs the saving operation in a state in which said row of sense amplifiers attached to said unit block to be refreshed is controlled to be used as the cache memory, thereafter performs a refresh operation for said unit block to be refreshed using said row of sense amplifiers as a saving source, and performs the write back operation after the refresh operation is completed.

3. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein each sense amplifier included in said row of sense amplifiers has two input terminals for connecting the bit line pair for said memory mat, and the memory cell is formed at one of two intersections of the bit line pair on an arbitrary word line.

4. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1 , wherein the memory cell array is configured by connecting N (N is an integer larger than or equal to 2) said unit blocks in cascade, and has N−1 said rows of sense amplifiers shared by two adjacent said unit blocks and two unshared said rows of sense amplifiers attached only to said unit blocks located at both ends of the memory cell array.

5. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 4 , wherein when the predetermined said unit block is not located at both ends of the memory cell array, said control means controls said switch means so as to form one transfer path from one said row of sense amplifiers attached to the predetermined said unit block leading to said row of sense amplifiers as the saving destination located at the opposite side of adjacent one said unit block, and the other transfer path from the other said row of sense amplifiers attached to the predetermined said unit block leading to said row of sense amplifiers as the saving destination located at the opposite side of adjacent the other said unit block.

6. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 4 , wherein when the predetermined said unit block is located at one end or the other end of the memory cell array, said control means controls said switch means so as to form a first transfer path from said row of sense amplifiers shared by two adjacent said unit blocks leading to a first row of sense amplifiers located at the opposite side of the two said unit bocks, and a second transfer path from unshared said row of sense amplifiers leading to a second row of sense amplifiers located at the opposite side of the predetermined said unit block and the adjacent said unit block, performs the saving operation through the first transfer path and thereafter performs the saving operation through the second transfer path, and performs the write back operation through the second transfer path and thereafter performs the write back operation through the first transfer path.

7. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 4 , further comprising a wiring pattern including a plurality of wires for connecting said row of sense amplifiers at one end of the memory cell array and said row of sense amplifiers at the other end of the memory cell array for each bit line of corresponding sense amplifier.

8. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of wires of said wiring pattern is formed on a wiring layer different from a wiring layer on which the plurality of bit lines are formed.

9. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 7 , wherein when the predetermined said unit block is located at one end or the other end of the memory cell array, said control means forms a first transfer path from said row of sense amplifiers shared by two adjacent said unit blocks leading to a first row of sense amplifiers located at the opposite side of the two adjacent said unit bocks, and a second transfer path from one unshared said row of sense amplifiers attached to said unit block leading to the other unshared said row of sense amplifiers through the plurality of wires.

10. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 4 , further comprising:

a row of sense amplifiers for saving in which data of unshared said row of sense amplifiers attached only to said unit block located at one end of the memory cell array is saved; and

switch means for switching a connection state between the unshared said row of sense amplifiers and said row of sense amplifiers for saving,

wherein when the predetermined said unit block is located at one end or the other end of the memory cell array, said control means controls said switch means so as to form a transfer path from the unshared said row of sense amplifiers attached to said unit block leading to said row of sense amplifiers for saving, and performs the saving operation and the write back operation.

Assignments (9)