Patent ID: 8665637

Claim:
A semiconductor memory, comprising: a plurality of memory cells arranged in a matrix format; a plurality of word lines each corresponding to a row of the plurality of memory cells, and each coupled to memory cells in the corresponding row; a plurality of bit line pairs each corresponding to a column of the plurality of memory cells, and each coupled to memory cells in the corresponding column; a plurality of row-control signal lines each corresponding to a row of the plurality of memory cells; and a plurality of column-control signal lines each corresponding to a column of the plurality of memory cells, wherein the plurality of memory cells each include a latch having a first and a second inverters, where an input node and an output node of one of the first inverter or the second inverter are respectively coupled to an output node and to an input node of the other one of the first inverter or the second inverter, a first access transistor having a source coupled to one bit line of a bit line pair which corresponds to that memory cell, of the plurality of bit line pairs, a drain coupled to a first output node which is the output node of the first inverter, and a gate coupled to a word line which corresponds to that memory cell, of the plurality of word lines, a second access transistor having a source coupled to the other bit line of the bit line pair which corresponds to that memory cell, a drain coupled to a second output node which is the output node of the second inverter, and a gate coupled to the word line which corresponds to that memory cell, a first switch coupled in series with the latch between a first and a second power sources, and a second switch coupled in parallel with the first switch, the first switch is coupled to a row-control signal line which corresponds to that memory cell, of the plurality of row-control signal lines, and the second switch is coupled to a column-control signal line which corresponds to that memory cell, of the plurality of column-control signal lines.