The object of the invention is to provide a semiconductor device realizing high-speed operation of surrounding gate transistors (SGTs), which are three-dimensional semiconductors, by increasing the ON current of the SGTs. This object is achieved by a semiconductor element being provided in which a source, a drain and a gate are positioned in layers on a substrate, the semiconductor element being provided with: a silicon column; an insulating body surrounding the side surface of the silicon column; a gate surrounding the insulating body; a source region positioned above or below the silicon column; and a drain region positioned below or above the silicon column; wherein the contact surface of the silicon column with the source region is smaller than the contact surface of the silicon column with the drain region.