Patent ID: 6894940

Claim:
A semiconductor memory device, comprising: a plurality of memory cells arranged in a matrix of rows and columns; a plurality of word lines arranged corresponding to a plurality of rows in said plurality of memory cells; a plurality of bit line pairs arranged corresponding to a plurality of columns in said plurality of memory cells; a plurality of sense amplifier zones detecting and amplifying data read from said plurality of memory cells; and a plurality of sub-word line driver zones intersecting each of said plurality of sense amplifier zones; wherein each of said plurality of sense amplifier zones includes a plurality of sense amplifiers provided corresponding to said plurality of bit line pairs and detecting and amplifying a potential difference between the corresponding bit line pair, a sense amplifier driving line provided in common to said plurality of sense amplifiers, and a plurality of first data line pairs provided corresponding to said plurality of bit line pairs and each selectively connected to a corresponding bit line; the semiconductor memory device further comprises a plurality of sub-amplifiers provided corresponding to each of said plurality of first data line pairs; each of said plurality of sub-amplifiers includes first, second, and third transistors; said first transistor has a control terminal connected to one line of said first data line pair, a first conductive terminal connected to another line of said first data line pair, and a second conductive terminal connected to a first conductive terminal of said third transistor; said second transistor has a control terminal connected to another line of said first data line pair, a first conductive terminal connected to one line of said first data line pair, and a second conductive terminal connected to the first conductive terminal of said third transistor; and said third transistor has a control terminal receiving an activation timing control signal for said sub-amplifier, and a second conductive terminal connected to said sense amplifier driving line.