• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.85-90
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• 2022

In this paper, an asynchronous nonvolatile memory module using a self-diagnosis function was designed. For the system to work, a lot of data must be input/output, and memory that can be stored is required. The volatile memory is fast, but data is erased without power, and the nonvolatile memory is slow, but data can be stored semi-permanently without power. The non-volatile static random-access memory is designed to solve these memory problems. However, the non-volatile static random-access memory is weak external noise or electrical shock, data can be some error. To solve these data errors, self-diagnosis algorithms were applied to non-volatile static random-access memory using error correction code, cyclic redundancy check 32 and data check sum to increase the reliability and accuracy of data retention. In addition, the possibility of application to an asynchronous non-volatile storage system requiring reliability was suggested.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.6-11
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• 2018

As embedded memory technology evolves, the traditional Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) technology has reached the end of development. For deepening the manufacturing process technology, the next generation memory technology is highly required because of the exponentially increasing leakage current of SRAM. Non-volatile memories such as STT-MRAM (Spin Torque Transfer Magnetic Random Access Memory), PCM (Phase Change Memory) are good candidates for replacing SRAM technology in embedded memory systems. They have many advanced characteristics in the perspective of power consumption, leakage power, size (density) and latency. Nonetheless, nonvolatile memories have two major problems that hinder their use it the next-generation memory. First, the lifetime of the nonvolatile memory cell is limited by the number of write operations. Next, the write operation consumes more latency and power than the same size of the read operation.These disadvantages can be solved using the compiler. The disadvantage of non-volatile memory is in write operations. Therefore, when the compiler decides the layout of the data, it is solved by optimizing the write operation to allocate a lot of data to the SRAM. This study provides insights into how these compiler and architectural designs can be developed.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2008

The present status of technical development of a highly scalable, high-speed non-volatile PCM is overviewed. Major technical challenges are described along with solutions that are being pursued in terms of innovative device structures and fabrication technologies, new phase change materials, and new memory schemes.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.185-196
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• 2002

MRAM(magnetic random access memory) is a promising candidate for a universal memory with non-volatile, fast operation speed and low power consumption. The simplest architecture of MRAM cell is a combination of MTJ(magnetic tunnel junction) as a data storage part and MOS transistor as a data selection part. This article will review the general development status of MRAM and discuss the issues. The key issues of MRAM technology as a future memory candidate are resistance control and low current operation for small enough device size. Switching issues are controllable with a choice of appropriate shape and fine patterning process. The control of fabrication is rather important to realize an actual memory device for MRAM technology.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.41-45
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• 2015

From 20nm technology node, the finFET has become standard device for ULSI's. However, the finFET process made stacking gate non-volatile memory obsolete. Some reported capacitor-less DRAM structure by utilizing the FBE. We present possible non-volatile memory device structure similar to the dual gate MOSFET. One of the gates is left floating. Since body of the finFET is only 40nm thick, control gate bias can make electron tunneling through the floating gate oxide which sits across the body. For programming, gate is biased to accumulation mode with few volts. Simulation results show that the programming electron current flows at the interface between floating gate oxide and the body. It also shows that the magnitude of the programming current can be easily controlled by the drain voltage. Injected electrons at the floating gate act similar to the body bias which changes the threshold voltage of the device.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.741-749
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• 2014

Low power double data rate 2 non-volatile memory (LPDDR2-NVM) has been deemed the standard interface to connect non-volatile memory devices such as phase-change memory (PCM) directly to the main memory bus. However, most of the previous literature does not consider or overlook this standard interface. In this paper, we propose address phase skipping by reforming the way of interfacing with LPDDR2-NVM. To verify effectiveness and functionality, we also develop a system-level prototype that includes our customized LPDDR2-NVM controller and commercial PCM devices. Extensive simulations and measurements demonstrate up to a 3.6% memory access time reduction for commercial PCM devices and a 31.7% reduction with optimistic parameters of the PCM research prototypes in industries.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.86-91
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• 2022

Cache bypassing is a scheme to prevent unnecessary cache blocks from occupying the capacity of the cache for avoiding cache contamination. This method is introduced to alleviate the problems of non-volatile memories (NVMs)-based memory system. However, the prior works have been studied without considering wear-out attack. Malicious writing to a small area in NVMs leads to the failure of the system due to the limited write endurance of NVMs. This paper proposes a novel scheme to prolong the lifetime with higher resistance for the wear-out attack. First, the memory reference pattern is found by modified reuse distance calculation for each cache block. If a cache block is determined as the target of the attack, it is forwarded to higher level cache or main memory without updating the NVM-based cache. The experimental results show that the write endurance is improved by 14% on average and 36% on maximum.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.197-204
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• 2002

DRAM, SRAM, and FLASH memory are three major memory devices currently used in most electronic applications. But, they have very distinct attributes, therefore, each memory could be used only for limited applications. MRAM (Magneto-resistive Random Access Memory) is a promising candidate for a universal memory that meets all application needs with non-volatile, fast operational speed, and low power consumption. The simplest architecture of MRAM cell is a series of MTJ (Magnetic Tunnel Junction) as a data storage part and MOS transistor as a data selection part. To be a commercially competitive memory device, scalability is an important factor as well. This paper is testing the actual electrical parameters and the scaling factors to limit MRAM technology in the semiconductor based memory device by an actual integration of MRAM core cell. Electrical tuning of MOS/MTJ, and control of resistance are important factors for data sensing, and control of magnetic switching for data writing.

• JSTS:Journal of Semiconductor Technology and Science
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.262-269
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• 2005

Semiconductor scientists and engineers ideally desire the faster but the cheaper non-volatile memory devices. In practice, no single device satisfies this desire because a faster device is expensive and a cheaper is slow. Therefore, in this paper, we use heterogeneous non-volatile memories and construct an efficient hierarchy for them. First, a small RAM device (e.g., MRAM, FRAM, and PRAM) is used as a write buffer of flash memory devices. Since the buffer is faster and does not have an erase operation, write can be done quickly in the buffer, making the write latency short. Also, if a write is requested to a data stored in the buffer, the write is directly processed in the buffer, reducing one write operation to flash storages. Second, we use many types of flash memories (e.g., SLC and MLC flash memories) in order to reduce the overall storage cost. Specifically, write requests are classified into two types, hot and cold, where hot data is vulnerable to be modified in the near future. Only hot data is stored in the faster SLC flash, while the cold is kept in slower MLC flash or NOR flash. The evaluation results show that the proposed hierarchy is effective at improving the access time of flash memory storages in a cost-effective manner thanks to the locality in memory accesses.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.1-6
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• 2022

Modern computer systems usually have special hardware for operations used in deep learning workload even edge computing environment. Non-volatile memories (NVMs) have been considered for alternative memory storage because they consume little static energy and occupy small area. However, there is a problem for NVMs to be directly adopted. An NVM cell has limited write endurance, so that the lifetime of NVM-based memory system is much shorter than that of conventional memory system. To overcome this problem for the deep learning system, this paper proposes a novel method to extend the lifetime based on the analysis of the deep learning workloads. If an incoming block has more than a predefined number of frequently used values, the cacheline is defined as write friendly block. During the victim selection, the cacheline has lower possibility to be chosen as victim. The experimental results show that the lifetime is increased by about 50% and energy consumption is decreased by 3% with a little performance hurt.