EECE 303 - Digital Electronics
Programmable read-only memory
Week 7
Jawad M. Rubayat Dhrubo
Lecturer
Dept. of EECE
RAMs and ROMs
The two major categories of semiconductor memories are the RAM and the
ROM.
RAM (random-access memory) is a type of memory in which all addresses
are accessible in an equal amount of time and can be selected in any order
for a read or write operation. All RAMs have both read and write capability.
Because RAMs lose stored data when the power is turned off, they are
volatile memories
ROM (read-only memory) is a type of memory in which data are stored
permanently or semipermanently. Data can be read from a ROM, but there
is no write operation as in the RAM. Because ROMs retain stored data even
if power is turned off, they are nonvolatile memories.
The Random-Access Memory (RAM)
• A RAM is a read/write memory in which data can be written into or
read from any selected address in any sequence.
• When a data unit is written into a given address in the RAM, the
data unit previously stored at that address is replaced by the new
data unit.
• When a data unit is read from a given address in the RAM, the data
unit remains stored and is not erased by the read operation.
• This nondestructive read operation can be viewed as copying the
content of an address while leaving the content intact.
• A RAM is typically used for short-term data storage because it
cannot retain stored data when power is turned off.
The RAM Family
The RAM Family
The two major categories of RAM are the :
• Static RAM (SRAM) and
• Dynamic RAM (DRAM)
1. SRAMs generally use latches as storage elements and can
therefore store data indefinitely as long as dc power is applied.
DRAMs use capacitors as storage elements and cannot retain
data very long without the capacitors being recharged by a
process called refreshing. Both SRAMs and DRAMs will lose
stored data when dc power is removed and, therefore, are
classified as volatile memories.
The RAM Family
2. Data can be read much faster from SRAMs than from DRAMs. However,
DRAMs can store much more data than SRAMs for a given physical size
and cost because the DRAM cell is much simpler and more cells can be
crammed into a given chip area than in the SRAM.
3. The basic types of SRAM are the asynchronous SRAM and the
synchronous SRAM with a burst feature. The basic types of DRAM are
the Fast Page Mode DRAM (FPM DRAM), the Extended Data Out DRAM
(EDO DRAM), the Burst EDO DRAM (BEDO DRAM), and the synchronous
DRAM (SDRAM).
Static RAMs (SRAMs) Memory Cell
Memory Cell
All SRAMs are characterized by latch memory cells. As long as dc power is
applied to a static memory cell, it can retain a 1 or 0 state indefinitely. If
power is removed, the stored data bit is lost
Cache Memory
One of the major applications of SRAMs is in cache memories in
computers. Cache memory is a relatively small, high-speed memory
that stores the most recently used instructions or data from the
larger but slower main memory.
Cache memory is basically a cost-effective method of improving
system performance without having to resort to the expense of
making all of the memory faster
Cache Analogy
There are many analogies that can be used to describe a
cache memory, but comparing it to a home refrigerator is
perhaps the most effective. A home refrigerator can be
thought of as a “cache” for certain food items while the
supermarket is the main memory where all foods are kept.
Each time you want something to eat or drink, you can go to
the refrigerator (cache) first to see if the item you want is
there. If it is, you save a lot of time. If it is not there, then you
have to spend extra time to get it from the supermarket
(main memory).
L1 and L2 Caches
A first-level cache (L1 cache) is usually integrated into the processor
chip and has a very limited storage capacity. L1 cache is also known
as primary cache. A second-level cache (L2 cache) may also be
integrated into the processor or as a separate memory chip or set
of chips external to the processor; it usually has a larger storage
capacity than an L1 cache. L2 cache is also known as secondary
cache. Some systems may have higher-level caches (L3, L4, etc.),
but L1 and L2 are the most common. Also, some systems use a disk
cache to enhance the performance of the hard disk because DRAM,
although much slower than SRAM, is much faster than the hard disk
drive.
L1 and L2 Caches
Dynamic RAM (DRAM) Memory Cells
Dynamic memory cells store a data bit in a
small capacitor rather than in a latch. The
advantage of this type of cell is that it is very
simple, thus allowing very large memory
arrays to be constructed on a chip at a lower
cost per bit. The disadvantage is that the
storage capacitor cannot hold its charge
over an extended period of time and will
lose the stored data bit unless its charge is
refreshed periodically. To refresh requires
additional memory circuitry and complicates
the operation of the DRAM
The Read-Only Memory (ROM)
A ROM contains permanently or semipermanently stored data, which
can be read from the memory but either cannot be changed at all or
cannot be changed without specialized equipment.
A ROM stores data that are used repeatedly in system applications,
such as tables, conversions, or programmed instructions for system
initialization and operation.
ROMs retain stored data when the power is off and are therefore
nonvolatile memories
The ROM Family
The ROM Family
The mask ROM is the type in which the data are permanently stored in the
memory during the manufacturing process.
The PROM, or programmable ROM, is the type in which the data are electrically
stored by the user with the aid of specialized equipment. Both the mask ROM
and the PROM can be of either MOS or bipolar technology.
The EPROM, or erasable PROM, is strictly a MOS device. The UV EPROM is
electrically programmable by the user, but the stored data must be erased by
exposure to ultraviolet light over a period of several minutes.
The electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM or E2PROM) can be erased in a few
milliseconds. The UV EPROM has been largely displaced by the EEPROM.
The Flash Memory
Flash memories are high-density read/write memories (high-
density translates into large bit storage capacity) that are
nonvolatile, which means that data can be stored indefinitely
without power. High-density means that a large number of cells
can be packed into a given surface area on a chip; that is, the
higher the density, the more bits that can be stored on a given
size chip. This high density is achieved in flash memories with a
storage cell that consists of a single floating-gate MOS transistor.
A data bit is stored as charge or the absence of charge on the
floating gate depending if a 0 or a 1 is stored.
**Comparison of Flash Memories with Other Memories (Flash vs. ROM, EPROM, and EEPROM)
Programmable ROM (PROM)
