• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.769-776
• /
• 2023

In this paper, we designed an MLSA(Match-line Sense Amplifier) for low-power CAM(Content Addressable Memory). By using the MLSA and precharge controller, we reduced power consumption during CAM operation by employing a selective match-line charging technique to mitigate power consumption caused by mismatch. Additionally, we further reduced power consumption due to leakage current by terminating precharge early when a mismatch occurs during the search operation. The designed circuit exhibited superior performance compared to the existing circuits, with a reduction of 6.92% and 23.30% in power consumption and propagation delay time, respectively. Moreover, it demonstrated a significant decrease of 29.92% and 52.31% in product-delay-product (PDP) and energy-delay-product (EDP). The proposed circuit was validated using SPECTRE simulation with TSMC 65nm CMOS process.