A Study of the Electrochemical Cell as a Storage Element for the Memory Access Gap

A memory device is proposed which is intended to fill the memory access gap, i.e., whose speed, cost, and capacity are intermediate between those of the electronic and electromechanical memories. Information is stored by electroplating metal on one or the other of two electrodes. The memory is random access and nonvolatile. Selection is by a coincident-voltage technique and stack operation is similar to the operation of core memories. The estimated driving requirement of a selection line is 1 V at 1 mA, indicating that small-area IC logic circuits will be able to drive the memory. The proposed memory will be mass-fabricated and the cost is foreseen as being primarily the interconnection cost between the IC decoding and sensing chips and the bit select conductors. The cost is estimated at 5 mcents/bit.