A high-speed 1-kbit high electron mobility transistor static RAM

Abstract

A 1-kbit static RAM with enhancement and depletion-mode devices was designed and fabricated using the high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) technology. The RAM circuit was optimized to achieve ultra-high-speed performance. A subnanosecond address access time of 0.6 ns was measured at room temperature for a total power dissipation of 450 mW. The minimum WRITE-ENABLE pulse width required to change the state of memory cell is less than 2 ns on probe testing. The best chip has 3 bits that failed to function, which corresponds to a bit yield of 99.7 percent. According to the simulation, variations of the threshold voltage inside the memory cell greatly reduce its stable functional range. High-speed operation requires more uniform threshold voltage control to achieve fully operational LSI memory circuits.