Patent ID: 7447098

Claim:
A semiconductor memory device having a plurality of dynamic memory cells and operating as a static semiconductor memory device in terms of external functions, comprising: a memory cell array having said plurality of dynamic memory cells arranged in rows and columns, a plurality of word lines provided corresponding respectively to said rows, and a plurality of bit line pairs provided corresponding respectively to said columns, said word lines being divided into a plurality of word line groups; an instruction signal activating circuit having a timer circuit for outputting a cycle signal at a time interval necessary for refreshing data stored in said plurality of dynamic memory cells without being externally instructed and setting refresh instruction signal to an active level in response to said cycle signal, a chip enable signal, and read/write signal; an oscillator for outputting a clock signal having a predetermined first period in response to said refresh instruction signal; a group selection circuit operative in synchronization with said clock signal, and for sequentially selecting said plurality of word line groups at a second period that is a multiple of said first period, the group selection circuit setting a group selection signal indicating the selected word line group to an active level and then resetting the same to an inactive level at said first period in a active mode, and setting said group selection signal to an active level and then resetting the same to an inactive level at said second period in a standby mode, wherein the mode changes between the active mode and the standby mode in response to said chip enable signal; a word line selection circuit for sequentially selecting a plurality of word lines belonging to the word line group selected by said group selection circuit at said first period, the word line selection circuit setting a word line selection signal indicating the selected word line to an active level and then resetting the same to an inactive level at said first period; a word driver provided corresponding to each word line, and for setting the corresponding word line to a selected level when both of the corresponding group selection signal and the corresponding word line selection signal are set to the active level; and a refresh executing circuit for carrying out data refresh of each dynamic memory cell corresponding to the word line set to the selected level by said word driver.