Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit is provided in which a differential amplifier circuit such as a sense amplifier is operated at high speed even if the operating voltage is reduced. To achieve this, a MOS transistor for supplying the operating voltage to a drive line on the high-potential side of a differential amplifier circuit is of N-channel type and the amplitude of a switching control signal for controlling this transistor is the potential of the step-up voltage produced by stepping up a supply voltage in level. The output voltage of an internal step-up circuit for achieving a word-line selection level is utilizable as the step-up voltage.

Abstract: Two memory cells in different memory arrays are simultaneously selected in accordance with the designation of a specific write operation mode to associate a logic 1 of a write signal with a state in which an electric charge exists in each capacitor. Further, a logic 0 of the write signal is associated with a state in which no electric charge exists in the capacitor to write the same write signal. Two dynamic memory cells in different memory arrays are simultaneously selected in accordance with the designation of a specific read operation mode to associate a state in which an electric charge exists in a capacitor of each dynamic memory cell with a logic 1 of a read signal and associate a state in which no electric charge exists in the capacitor with a logic 0 of the read signal in response to a write operation. Thus, the logics 1 of the two read signals are preferentially output.

Abstract: An address access path control circuit designed for shorter access time and small the layout area with low power consumption and noise. Our control circuit has a latching circuit LMO2A, a main output circuit MO3, and a common-bus driving circuit CBD for holding the level of a pair of common-buses CB/CB.sub.-- at the ground level during a prescribed period of time in which address transition takes place while the read data is output to common-buses CB/CB.sub.-- at a timing corresponding to the address signal. A data output buffer DO-BUF outputs to the outside the data transmitted from common-buses CB/CB.sub.-- to data output lines OD/OD.sub.-- in response to the input of control signal DOE. A control signal DOE is input to data output buffer DO-BUF during the period in which data output lines OD/OD.sub.-- are at the ground level.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device in which erroneous operation with respect to undesired level changes of the input address signal is prevented, and appropriate operation of the main amplifier is ensured. The semiconductor memory device has a main amplifier activating pulse generator 112' which includes response sensitivity reduction circuit 10, response sensitivity selector 12, and main amplifier activating pulse generator 14. The response sensitivity reduction circuit 10 can reduce the response sensitivity or input sensitivity of the circuit 112' with respect to an input address transition detection pulse ATD. The response sensitivity selector 12 selects either a first input terminal A1 or a second input terminal A2, depending on the output state of the main amplifier activating pulse generator 14.

Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit capable of preventing the excessive overdriving of sense amplifiers when the supply voltage fed thereto is raised. The integrated circuit has differential amplifiers for amplifying a potential difference on complementary signal lines, and a control circuit for generating a first driving control signal for supplying the differential amplifiers with a first driving voltage as an overdriving power supply therefor. The control circuit further generates a second driving control signal for supplying the differential amplifiers with a second driving voltage which is activated after the activated first driving control signal is deactivated and which is lower in level than the first driving voltage. The control circuit includes a MOS circuit as a delay circuit composed of MOS transistors for defining a time interval from the time the first driving control signal is activated until the second driving control signal is activated.

Abstract: A dynamic RAM is provided with a main word lines; a plurality of subsidiary word lines which are arranged in the direction of bit lines crossing the main word line and to which a plurality of dynamic memory cells are connected; a plurality of subsidiary word selection lines which are extended so as to perpendicularly intersect the main word line and through which a selection signal for selecting one of the plurality of subsidiary word lines is transmitted; and a logic circuit for receiving a selection signal from the main word line and a selection signal from each of the subsidiary word selection lines to thereby form a selection signal for selecting one of the subsidiary word lines. In the dynamic RAM, the voltage level of each of the main word line and the subsidiary word selection lines is made to be equal to the ground potential when the line is in a not-selected state.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device in which sensing of the memory information stored in a memory cell can be carried out stably, and reliably by equilibrating a parasitic capacitance existing between a select line and its adjacent bit line pair. Each Y select line YS is arranged at a position where it uniformly spans over both members of a bit line pair which extend straight in parallel to each other without the twist part TW within an area of four bit line pairs (eight bit lines or auxiliary bit lines) that are simultaneously sensed. Within an area of the first set of bit line pairs (BL0,BL0-)-(BL3,BL3-), in addition to the bit line pair (BL1,BL1-), the line pairs (BL0,BL0-) and (BL2,BL2-) with the twist part TW are substantially capacitance-coupled with the Y select line YS0. In these bit line pairs, the parasitic capacitance for the Y select line YS0 is at equilibrium between a bit line and an auxiliary bit line.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device having reserve bit lines or word lines for replacing defective bit lines or word lines which can increase a defect relief probability and improve an operational margin. The reserve bit lines or word lines are provided approximately in a central portion of a memory mat. Because of a low probability of defect occurrence in the reserve word lines or bit lines, the probability of defect occurrence can be made low when a defective word line or bit line is replaced with a reserve word line or bit line.

Abstract: A defect remedy LSI mounted on a memory module, comprising: an input interface portion for capturing address and control signals, the input interface portion being the same as that of a dynamic RAM; an input/output interface portion corresponding to a data bus of a memory device comprised of a plurality of dynamic random access memories; a memory circuit to which a chip address and an X defective address of any of the plurality of random access memories are electrically written, the memory circuit being substantially made nonvolatile; a redundancy remedy RAM portion composed of a static RAM wherein a word line is selected by a compare match signal between an X address signal and the defective address of the memory circuit, the X address signal and the defective address being captured via the input interface portion, and a column is selected by a Y address signal captured via the input interface portion; a selecting portion for connecting a data input/output bus of the redundancy remedy RAM portion to an input

Abstract: A word line driving circuit which effectively prevents ground noise during word line discharge along with accommodating the narrowing of pitch in the word lines by making the layout area of the word line driver small. The word line driving circuit includes n-type MOS transistor 14 and p-type MOS transistor 12. The drain terminal of n-type MOS transistor 14 and drain terminal of p-type MOS transistor 12 in word line driver 10 are connected to the base terminal of word line WLi. The output terminal of an output transistor driving circuit 16 is connected to the source terminal of p-type MOS transistor 12, and the output terminal of a first output transistor controlling circuit 18 is connected to the gate terminal. The output terminal of a second output transistor controlling circuit 20 is connected to the gate terminal of n-type MOS transistor 14, and a ground terminal 22 as a reference potential terminal for leading in the electric current is connected to the source terminal.

Abstract: A dynamic random access memory device has a memory cell array which includes a first memory cell array part and a second memory cell array part portioned in a first direction parallel with the bit lines, a plurality of column switches, one provided for each of the bit lines, a plurality of input/output lines each connected to different ones of the bit lines via associated ones of the column switches, a row address decoder for decoding a first portion of an address signal and a column address decoder for decoding a second portion of the address signal to thereby simultaneously access at least two memory cells with the address signal. The input/output lines extend in a second direction parallel with word lines and are divided into first and second groups of input/output lines connected to those bit lines which belong to the first and second memory cell array parts, respectively in which the first input/output line group is isolated from the second input/output line group.

Abstract: Each of a plurality of memory arrays is divided into a plurality of memory mats MAT00L-MAT07L to MAT10R-MAT17R in directions in which word lines and bit lines extend. First common data lines, that is, sub-IO lines, are provided which correspond to these memory mats and which are disposed in parallel to the word lines. Bit lines designating the corresponding memory mats are selectively connected to the first common data lines. Second common data lines, that is, main IO line groups MIOG0-MIOG7, are also provided and are disposed in parallel to the bit lines. Designated sub-IO lines are selectively connected to the second common data lines. Moreover, a plurality of main amplifiers forming a main amplifier unit MAU0 are orderly arranged in the direction in which the bit lines extend.

Abstract: Disclosed are measurement (observation) pads for judging whether or not a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) adopting a shared sense system is functioning as designed. Concretely, measurement pads are formed by the step of forming a second layer of wiring respectively connected to pairs of complementary data lines which are formed by the step of forming a first layer of wiring, and the signal waveforms of the pairs of complementary data lines are measured using the measurement pads. Further, the measurement pads are provided between wiring layers which become fixed potentials in, at least, the operation of measuring data. In addition, each of the measurement pads is used in common by data lines which are respectively connected to two memory cells located in different memory cell mats.