NV-TCAM: Alternative designs with NVM devices

Abstract

TCAM (ternary content addressable memory) is a special memory type that can compare input search data with stored data, and return location (sometime, the associated content) of matched data. TCAM is widely used in microprocessor designs as well as communication chip, e.g., IP-routing. Following technology advances of emerging nonvolatile memories (eNVM), applying eNVM to TCAM designs becomes attractive to achieve high density and low standby power. In this paper, we examined the applications of three promising eNVM technologies, i.e., magnetic tunneling junction (MTJ), memristor, and ferroelectric memory field effect transistor (FeFET), in the design of nonvolatile TCAM cells. All these technologies can achieve close-to-zero standby power though each of them has very different pros and cons.