Antonelli, Terry, Stout & Kraus, LLP
Semiconductor integrated circuit device
A semiconductor memory device is provided including a memory having memory cells and circuit blocks, a power switching circuit and a refresh control apparatus. In a first operation state, the refresh control apparatus supplies power to the memory using the power switching circuit to refresh the memory cells. In a second operation state, the refresh control apparatus turns off the power supply to at least one circuit block using the power switching circuit. Another operation state is also provided in which round transition between the first and second operation states is repeated multiple times. Accordingly, power consumption is reduced, especially for semiconductor memory devices that use memory elements in which a lengthy period is required for the refresh operation. As a result, it is possible to decrease the overall electric power of the semiconductor device.
Hitachi, Ltd.
G
G11C
inventional
Hiroyuki
Mizuno