Patent ID: 6990022

Claim:
A semiconductor memory device comprising: a memory cell array in which memory cells are arranged in a matrix; memory operation circuit means, connected to the memory cell array, for executing a memory operation on the memory cell array; and command control means, connected to the memory operation circuit means, for receiving a command from an external user via a plurality of data terminals, and generating a predetermined control signal to the memory operation circuit means on the basis of the received command to control execution of the memory operation by the memory operation circuit means, wherein the memory operation circuit means is configured so as to be able to receive an address from the external user via a plurality of address input terminals and data to be stored into the memory cell array via the data terminals, and provide the data stored in the memory cell array to the external user via the data terminals, the command control means includes command/status register means, clock generation means and status decoder means, the command/status register means stores the command and traces a procedure of the memory operation, the clock generation means generates a timing signal to the memory operation circuit means and the command/status register means to latch the address and the data to the memory operation circuit means and to control latching of the command to the command/status register means, the status decoder means is connected to the command/status register means and decodes a command received by the command/status register means in order to generate a predetermined control signal for the memory operation circuit means, and the memory cell includes a gate electrode formed over a semiconductor layer via a gate insulating film, a channel region disposed below the gate electrode, diffusion regions disposed on both sides of the channel region and having a conductive type opposite to that of the channel region, and memory functional units formed on both sides of the gate electrode and having the function of retaining charges.