In Search of the Next Memory : Inside the Circuitry From the Oldest to the Emerging Non-Volatile Memories

This book provides students and practicing chip designers with an easy-to-follow yet thorough, introductory treatment of the most promising emerging memories under development in the industry. Focusing on the chip designer rather than the end user, this book offers expanded, up-to-date coverage of emerging memories circuit design. After an introduction on the old solid-state memories and the fundamental limitations soon to be encountered, the working principle and main technology issues of each of the considered technologies (PCRAM, MRAM, FeRAM, ReRAM) are reviewed and a range of topics related to design is explored: the array organization, sensing and writing circuitry, programming algorithms and error correction techniques are reviewed comparing the approach followed and the constraints for each of the technologies considered. Finally the issue of radiation effects on memory devices has been briefly treated. Additionally some considerations are entertained about how emerging memories can find a place in the new memory paradigm required by future electronic systems. This book is an up-to-date and comprehensive introduction for students in courses on memory circuit design or advanced digital courses in VLSI or CMOS circuit design. It also serves as an essential, one-stop resource for academics, researchers and practicing engineers. -- from back cover Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Introduction....Pages 1-5 Historical Overview of Solid-State Non-Volatile Memories....Pages 7-25 Physics and Technology of Emerging Non-Volatile Memories....Pages 27-46 Performance Demands for Future NVM....Pages 47-87 Array Organization in Emerging Memories....Pages 89-127 Data Sensing in Emerging NVMs....Pages 129-151 Algorithms to Survive: Programming Operation in Non-Volatile Memories....Pages 153-183 Error Management....Pages 185-228 Emerging Memories in Radiation-Hard Design....Pages 229-246 Back Matter....Pages 247-251