Embodiments herein describe techniques for a semiconductor device including a substrate oriented in a horizontal direction, and a memory cell including a transistor and a capacitor above the substrate. The transistor includes a gate electrode oriented in a vertical direction substantially orthogonal to the horizontal direction, and a channel layer oriented in the vertical direction, around the gate electrode and separated by a gate dielectric layer from the gate electrode. The capacitor is within an inter-level dielectric layer above the substrate. The capacitor includes a first plate coupled with a second portion of the channel layer of the transistor, and a second plate separated from the first plate by a capacitor dielectric layer. The first plate of the capacitor is also a source electrode of the transistor. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.