Content addressable memory is popular in intelligent computing systems as it allows parallel content-searching in memory. Emerging CAMs show a promising increase in bitcell density and a decrease in power consumption than pure CMOS solutions. This article introduced an energy-efficient 3T1R1C TCAM cooperating with capacitor dividers and RRAM devices. The RRAM as a storage element also acts as a switch to the capacitor divider while searching for content. CAM cells benefit from working parallel in an array structure. We implemented a 64 x 64 array and digital controllers to perform with an internal built-in clock frequency of 875MHz. Both data searches and reads take three clock cycles. Its worst average energy for data match is reported to be 1.71fJ/bit-search and the worst average energy for data miss is found at 4.69fJ/bit-search. The prototype is simulated and fabricated in 0.18um technology with in-lab RRAM post-processing. Such memory explores the charge domain searching mechanism and can be applied to data centers that are power-hungry.
@article{arxiv.2401.09207,
title = {An Energy-efficient Capacitive-RRAM Content Addressable Memory},
author = {Yihan Pan and Adrian Wheeldon and Mohammed Mughal and Shady Agwa and Themis Prodromakis and Alexantrou Serb},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2401.09207},
year = {2024}
}
Comments
This work has been accepted by IEEE TCAS-I for publication