A sense amplifier circuit comprising a local I/O line pair, a global I/O
line pair, a write amplification unit for amplifying and transferring
data output from the global I/O line pair to the local I/O line pair in
response to a first control signal, and a read amplification unit for
amplifying and transferring data output from the local I/O line pair to
the global I/O line pair in response to a second control signal.