A low power, high speed parity check parallel data search CAM using complimentary search lines

Abstract: In all digital systems, memory acts as brain of the system. Any data such as files, audio, video and images are stored in memory in the form of binary digits such as '0's and '1's. Most memory devices store and retrieve data by addressing specific memory locations. Many methods are implemented to search data from memory. A memory that searches data using parallel method called content-addressable memory or CAM. Content addressable memory (CAM) is a type of solid-state memory that access the input data and performs parallel search operations and gives the address of the data. It starts a compare operation by loading search data into the search data register. This search data is then broadcast into the memory banks through pairs of complementary search-lines(SL and SLbar). The parallel comparison done with every bit of the stored words using comparison circuits. Each stored word has a matched line(ML) that convey the comparison result. Address of the matched word obtained at encoder output. Keywords: CAM, NOR cell, NAND cell.