Patent ID: 7420867

Claim:
A method for operating a semiconductor memory device comprising: defining the semiconductor memory device to include a plurality of memory cell arrays each comprising a plurality of memory cell sub-arrays; activating a first memory cell sub-array or memory cells of the first memory cell sub-array that are contained in a first set of memory cells, including memory cells positioned in one and the same row or column of the first memory cell sub-array, if one or a plurality of memory cells contained in the first memory cell sub-array or in the first set of memory cells is/are to be accessed; accessing the corresponding memory cell or memory cells; and leaving the first memory cell sub-array or the memory cells of the first memory cell sub-array that are contained in the first set of memory cells in the activated state if one or a plurality of further memory cells is/are to be accessed which are contained in a second memory cell sub-array of the same memory cell array that comprises the first memory cell sub-array.