Semiconductor memory device having a floating gate

Claim 1

A semiconductor memory device, comprising: a semiconductor substrate of one conductivity type; first, second and third semiconductor regions of an opposite conductivity type formed in a surface area of said semiconductor substrtate, a first channel region formed between said first and second semiconductor regions and a second channel region formed between said second and third semiconductor regions; a first insulating layer formed on said surface area of said semiconductor substrate above said first and second channel regions; a floating gate formed on said first insulating layer and having a first predetermined area adjacent to and spaced from said second semiconductor region to form a fist capacitance between said floating gate and said second semiconductor region; a first control gate region formed in the surface are of said semiconductor substrate under said floating gate, said first insulating layer being interposed between said first control gate and said floating gate to form a second capacitance between said floating gate and said first control gate region, the first control gate region having a second predetermined area adjacent to and spaced from said floating gate, wherein said second predetermined area is smaller than said first predetermined area such that said second capacitance is smaller than said first capacitance; a source line connected to said first semiconductor region; a selection gate formed on said first insulation layer above said second channel region; a bit line connected to said third semiconductor region and formed over said first control gate region and said selection gate; and potential setting means for setting, in a date erasing operation, a first potential to said selection gate and said first control gate region and a second potential lower than said first potential to said source line and said bit line to form an electric field between said first control gate region and said floating gate greater than an electric field between said floating gate and said second semiconductor region to remove electrons held in said floating ate to said first control gate region, and for setting, in a data writing operation, a third potential to said selection gate and said bit line and a fourth potential lower than said third potential to said first control gate region and said source line to form an electric field between said first control gate region and said floating gate greater than an electric field between said floating gate and said second semiconductor region to inject electrons into said floating gate from said first control gate region.