Patent ID: 7940573

Claim:
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory including a plurality of memory cells each comprising: a source region, a channel region, and a drain region thereon in this order extending from a surface of the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate and further including a charge accumulation layer, via a gate insulation film, on an outside surface of the channel region and a control gate formed, via an insulation layer, on an outside surface of the charge accumulation layer so as to cover the charge accumulation layer, the memory cells arranged on the substrate in a matrix with n rows and m columns and further comprising: a plurality of source lines laid out in a column direction and connecting the source regions of the memory cells with each other; a plurality of parallel bit lines laid out in the column direction in a layer different from the source lines and connecting the drain regions of the memory cells with each other; a plurality of gate lines laid out in a row direction that is substantially perpendicular to the column direction and connecting the control gates of the memory cells with each other; a plurality of transistors comprising a switch for electrically connecting a common source line to the plurality of source lines and for electrically disconnecting the common source line from the plurality of source lines, wherein one row of transistors is formed at intervals of p (p<n) rows of the matrix, the transistors each having a source region, a channel region, and a drain region formed in this order from a surface of the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate, each source region being connected to the source line of a column to which the source region belongs; read lines laid out in the row direction and connecting gates of the transistors with each other, the transistors aligned in a same row; and wherein the common source lines connect the drain regions of the transistors with each other, the transistors being aligned in the same row.