Inside RAM

Tom Kelliher, CS 220

Dec. 3, 2001

Administrivia

Announcements

Course evaluation at end of class.

Assignment

Toolboxes due Friday. Counter due Monday.

From Last Time

Introduction to memory.

Outline

1. Introduction.

2. Static RAM.

3. Dynamic RAM.

Coming Up

Review for final.

Introduction

1. Organizations of RAMs: number of words, bits/word.

2. Operation:
   1. Not enabled: low power mode, output in high-impedance state (disconnected)

   2. Read: A single word should be read. Address may change.

   3. Write: A single word should be written. Address must be stable.

   4. Refresh. Hidden or not hidden?

3. RAM will have a 2-D structure: row/word, column/bit.

   The number of columns may not have anything to do with bits/word --- many RAMs have 1 bit/word but are 2-D internally.

4. RAMS consist of:
   1. Storage cells.
   2. Word and bit decoders.
   3. Write logic.
   4. Read logic (sense amp).
   5. Refresh logic for DRAMs.

Static RAM

1. Memory cell model:

   

   Goal: cell should be as small as possible, to increase storage density.

   Think about the AND gates on the output side as tri-state buffers --- transmission gates.

2. Bit slice of a RAM array:

   

3. Assume you have bit-slice RAM cells. Adding 2-to-4 decoders, how would a RAM look? A RAM?

Dynamic RAM

1. DRAM cell:

   

2. SRAM cell: five or six transistors. DRAM cell: one transistor and one capacitor.

3. Bit-Slice: support structure similar.

4. Bit line has higher capacitance than storage capacitor --- sense amps.

5. Destructive read. Use of sense amps to restore data.

6. Refresh due to leakage. Refresh logic.