access icon free Multi-level cell STT-RAM controller for multimedia applications

Recently, multi-level cell (MLC) spin-transfer torque random access memories (STT-RAMs) are attracting great attentions as an alternative to static or dynamic random access memories. They have the benefits of capacity, but the penalties of performance, and power consumption caused by a complicated two- or three-phase access. An MLC STT-RAM controller that eliminates the MLC STT-RAM penalties for multimedia applications is proposed. The key ideas are frame-level data-to-memory mapping and frame-type aware frame assignment techniques that make a two- or three-phase access no longer required. Experimental results show that the proposed MLC STT-RAM controller achieves 56.1% higher memory performance, and 4.2% lower memory power consumption than the conventional controller for industrial multimedia applications.

Inspec keywords: DRAM chips; controllers; SRAM chips; power consumption

Other keywords: MLC STT-RAM controller; frame-type aware frame assignment technique; frame-level data-to-memory mapping; dynamic random access memories; power consumption; spin-transfer torque; static random access memories; multimedia application; multilevel cell

Subjects: Semiconductor storage; Controllers; Memory circuits

References

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      • 2. Ishigaki, T., Kawahara, T., Takemura, R., et al: ‘A multi-level-cell spin-transfer torque memory with series-stacked magnetotunnel junctions’. Symp. on VLSI Technology, Honolulu, USA, June 2010, pp. 4748, doi: 10.1109/VLSIT.2010.5556126.
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http://iet.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1049/el.2016.2435
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