Coding for sensing in Content Addressable Memories

We study binary Content Addressable Memories (CAMs) that employ a resistive element to store content. A CAM has a match line for every word stored which is sensed in order to determine a match/no match condition. We show how simple, low redundancy coding techniques can dramatically improve the abili...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Lastras-Montano, L A, Franceschini, M M, Rajendran, B, Lam, C
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Associative memory
CADCAM
Cams
Circuits
Computer aided manufacturing
Memory architecture
Random access memory
Read-write memory
Redundancy
Resistors
Online Access:Request full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We study binary Content Addressable Memories (CAMs) that employ a resistive element to store content. A CAM has a match line for every word stored which is sensed in order to determine a match/no match condition. We show how simple, low redundancy coding techniques can dramatically improve the ability to differentiate a match from a mismatch, effectively allowing a CAM design that stores nearly twice as many bits in the same memory as a competing design that stores each bit and its complement. The theory of coding for asymmetric errors is relevant in this problem; we rely on it to prove that ⌊n/2⌋ out of n constant weight codes are optimal for sensing.
ISSN:2157-8095
2157-8117
DOI:10.1109/ISIT.2010.5513385