CONTENT-ADDRESSABLE MEMORY CORE CELLS - A SURVEY

Authors
Citation
Kj. Schultz, CONTENT-ADDRESSABLE MEMORY CORE CELLS - A SURVEY, Integration, 23(2), 1997, pp. 171-188
Citations number
18
Journal title
ISSN journal
01679260
Volume
23
Issue
2
Year of publication
1997
Pages
171 - 188
Database
ISI
SICI code
0167-9260(1997)23:2<171:CMCC-A>2.0.ZU;2-0
Abstract
The data stored in a content-addressable memory (CAM) are accessed bas ed on their contents, rather than their location, and this functionali ty is useful in many applications, including databases, table look-up, and associative computing. The central building blocks of these memor ies are the core cells, and this paper surveys 14 such cells, primaril y from a qualitative perspective. The cells date from 1970, and many i nnovations have been introduced since then, both in circuit design and fabrication technology. Among the cells described, 11 employ static s torage and four use dynamic storage; 14 can be implemented in CMOS, wh ile one requires BICMOS technology. A discussion follows, highlighting significant design improvements, advocating particular cells for gene ral-purpose use, and suggesting avenues for future research.