Memory Design • Memory Types •Memoryyg Organization • ROM design • RAM design • PLA design Adapted from J. M. Rabaey, A. Chandrakasan and B. Nikolic, Digital Integrated Circuits, 2nd ed. Copyright 2003 Prentice Hall/Pearson. ECE 261 James Morizio 1 Semiconductor Memory Classification Non-Volatile Read-Write Memory Read-Write Read-Only Memory Memory Random Non-Random EPROM Mask-Programmed Access Access 2 E PROM Pbl(PROM)Programmable (PROM) SRAM FIFO FLASH DRAM LIFO Shift Register CAM ECE 261 James Morizio 2 MTiiDfiiiMemory Timing: Definitions Read cycle READ Write cycle Read access Read access WRITE Write access Data valid DATA Data written ECE 261 James Morizio 3 Memory Architecture: M bits Decoders M bits S S0 0 Word 0 Word 0 S1 Word 1 A 0 Word 1 S2 Storage Storage Word 2 Word 2 cell A 1 cell words A K2 1 N SN2 2 Decoder Word N2 2 Word N2 2 SN2 1 Word N2 1 Word N2 1 K 5 log2N Input-Output Input-Output (M bits) (M bits) Intuitive architecture for N x M memory Decoder reduces the number of select signals Too many select signals: K = log N NdN words == NltilN select signals 2 ECE 261 James Morizio 4 Array-Structured Memory Architecture Problem: ASPECT RATIO or HEIGHT >> WIDTH 2L 2 K Bit line Storage cell A K A K11 Word line Decoder A L 21 Row M.2K Amplify swing to Sense amplifiers / Drivers rail-to-rail amplitude A 0 Column decoder Selects appropriate A K21 word Inppput-Output (M bits) ECE 261 James Morizio 5 Hierarchical Memory Architecture Block 0 Block i Block P 21 Row address Column address Block address Global data bus Control Block selector Global circuitry amplifier/driver Advantages: I/O 1. Shorter wires within blocks 2. Block address activates only 1 block => power savings ECE 261 James Morizio 6 RdRead-OlOnly M emory C Cllells BL BL BL VDD WL WL WL 1 BL BL BL WL WL WL 0 GND Diode ROM MOS ROM 1 MOS ROM 2 ECE 261 James Morizio 7 MOS OR ROM BL[0] BL[1] BL[2] BL[3] WL[0] VDD WL[1] WL[2] VDD WL[3] Vbias Pull-down loads ECE 261 James Morizio 8 ROM Example • 4-word x 6-bit ROM Word 0: 010101 – Represented with dot diagram Word 1: 011001 – Dots indicate 1’s in ROM Word 2: 100101 weak Word 3: 101010 A1 A0 pseudo-nMOS pullups 2:4 DEC ROM Array Y5 Y4 Y3 Y2 Y1 Y0 Looks like 6 4-input pseudo-nMOS NORs ECE 261 James Morizio 9 MOS NOR ROM VDD Pull-up devices WL[0] GND WL [1] WL [2] GND WL [3] BL [0] BL [1] BL [2] BL [3] ECE 261 James Morizio 10 MOS NOR ROM Layout Cell (9.5λ x 7λ) Programmming using the Active Layyyer Only Polysilicon Metal1 Diffusion Metal1 on Diffusion ECE 261 James Morizio 11 MOS NOR ROM Layout Cell (11λ x7x 7λ) Programmming using the Contact Layer Only Polysilicon Metal1 Diffusion Metal1 on Diffusion ECE 261 James Morizio 12 MOS NAND ROM VDD Pull-up devices BL[0] BL[1] BL[2] BL[3] WL[0] WL[1] WL[2] WL[3] All word lines high by default with exception of selected row ECE 261 James Morizio 13 MOS NAND ROM Layout Cell (8λ x 7λ) PiiProgrammming using the Metal-1 Layer Only No contact to VDD or GND necessary; drastically reduced cell size Loss in performance compared to NOR ROM Polysilicon Diffusion Metal1 on Diffusion ECE 261 James Morizio 14 NAND ROM Layout Cell (5λ x 6λ) PiiProgrammming using Implants Only Polysilicon Threshold-altering implant Metal1 on Diffusion ECE 261 James Morizio 15 Decreasinggy Word Line Delay Driver WL Polysilicon word line Metal word line (a) Driving the word line from both sides Metal bypass WL K cells Polysilicon word line (b) Using a metal bypass ECE 261 James Morizio 16 Precharged MOS NOR ROM V f pre DD Precharge devices WL[0] GND WL[1] WL[2] GND WL[3] BL[0] BL[1] BL[2] BL[3] PMOS precharge device can be made as large as necessary, but clock driver becomes harder to design . ECE 261 James Morizio 17 Read-Write Memories (RAM) STATIC (SRAM) DtData s tore d as long as supp ly is app lidlied Large (6 transistors/cell) Fast Differential DYNAMIC (DRAM) Periodic refresh required Small (1-3 transistors/cell) Slower Single Ended ECE 261 James Morizio 18 6-transistor CMOS SRAM Cell WL VDD M 2 M 4 Q Q M M 5 6 M 1 M 3 BL BL ECE 261 James Morizio 19 6T-SRAM — Layout V M2 M4 DD Q Q M1 M3 GND M5 M6 WL BL BL ECE 261 James Morizio 20 Statue of Goethe and Schiller: the German National Theater, Weimar ECE 261 James Morizio 21 3-Transistor DRAM Cell BL1 BL2 WWL RWL WWL M 3 RWL M 1 X X M 2 CS BL 1 BL 2 No constraints on device ratios Reads are non-destructive Value stored at node X when writing a “1” = VWWL-VTn ECE 261 James Morizio 22 3T-DRAM — Layout BL2 BL1 GND RWL M3 M2 WWL M1 ECE 261 James Morizio 23 1-Transistor DRAM Cell BL WL Write 1 Read 1 WL M 1 X GND VDD 2 VT CS VDD BL V /2 V /2 DD sensing DD CBL Write: CS is charged or discharged by asserting WL and BL. Read: Charge redistribution takes places between bit line and storage capacitance C ------------S ΔV ==VBL –VVPRE BIT – VPRE CS + CBL Voltage swing is small; typically around 250 mV. ECE 261 James Morizio 24 DRAM Cell Observations 1T DRAM requires a sense amplifier for each bit line, due to charge redistribution read-out. DRAM memory cell s are s ing le-ende d i n contrast to SRAM cells. The read-out of the 1T DRAM cell is destructive; read and refres h opera tions are necessary f or correct operati on. Unlike 3T cell, 1T cell requires presence of an extra capacitance that must be explicitly included in the design. When writing a “1” into a DRAM cell, a threshold voltage is lost. This charge loss can be circumvented by bootstrapping the word lines to a higher value than VDD ECE 261 James Morizio 25 1-T DRAM Cell Capacitor Metal word line M1 word line SiO2 Poly n+ n+ Field Oxide Inversion layer Diffused Poly induced by bit line plate bias Polysilicon Polysilicon gate plate Cross-section Layout Uses Polysilicon-Diffusion Capacitance Expensive in Area (trend now is to use trench capacitors ECE 261 James Morizio 26 Perippyhery Decoders Sense Amplifiers Input/Output Buffers Control / Timing Circuitry ECE 261 James Morizio 27 RDdRow Decoders Collection of 2M complex logic gates Organized in regular and dense fashion (N)AND Decoder NOR Decoder ECE 261 James Morizio 28 Hierarchical Decoders Multi-stage implementation improves performance ••• WL 1 WL 0 A 0A 1 A 0A 1 A 0A 1 A 0A 1 A 2A 3 A 2A 3 A 2A 3 A 2A 3 ••• NAND decoder using 22--inputinput prepre--decodersdecoders A 1 A 0 A 0 A 1 A 3 A 2 A 2 A 3 ECE 261 James Morizio 29 Dy namic Decoders Precharge devices GND GND VDD WL3 VDD WL3 WL WL 2 2 VDD WL1 WL 1 VDD WL0 WL 0 VDD φ A0 A0 A1 A1 A0 A0 A1 A1 φ 2-input NOR decoder 2-input NAND decoder ECE 261 James Morizio 30 4-to-1 tree based column decoder BL 0 BL 1 BL 2 BL 3 A 0 A 0 A1 A 1 D Number of devices drastically reduced Delay increases quadratically with # of sections; prohibitive for large decoders Solutions: buffers progressive sizing combinati on o f tree an d pass t ransi st or approach es ECE 261 James Morizio 31 PLA versus ROM Programmable Logic Array structured approach to random logic “two level logic implementation” NOR-NOR (product of sums) NAND-NAND (sum of products) SIMILAR TO ROM Main difference ROM: fully populated PLA: one element per minterm Note: Imppyortance of PLA’s has drastically reduced 1. slow 2. better software techniques (mutli-level logic synthesis) BtBut … ECE 261 James Morizio 32 Programmable Logic Array PdPseudo-NMOS PLA V DD GND GND GND GND GND GND GND V DD X 0 X 0 X 1 X 1 X 2 X 2 f0 f1 AND-plane OR-plane ECE 261 James Morizio 33 Dynamic PLA f AND GND V DD f OR f OR f AND V DD X 0 X 0 X 1 X 1 X 2 X 2 f0 f1 GND AND-plane OR-plane ECE 261 James Morizio 34 PLA Layout And-Plane Or-Plane VDD φ GND x x x x x x 0 0 1 1 2 2 f0 f1 Pull-up devices Pull-up devices ECE 261 James Morizio 35 CAMs • Ex tensi on of ordi nary memory (e.g. SRAM) – Read and write memory as usual – Also match to see which words contain a key adr data/key read CAM match write ECE 261 James Morizio 36 10T CAM Cell • Add four match transistors to 6T SRAM – 56 x 43 λ unit cell bit bit_ b word cell cell_b match ECE 261 James Morizio 37 CAM Cell Operation • Read and write like ordinary SRAM CAM cell • For matching: clk weak row decoder miss – Leave wordline low address match0 – Precharge matchlines match1 – Place key on bitlines match2 – Matchlines evaluate match3 read/write column circuitry • Miss line data – Pseudo-nMOS NOR of match lines – Goes high if no words match ECE 261 James Morizio 38.