Memristors-based Ternary Content Addressable Memory (mTCAM)

A memristors-based Ternary Content Addressable Memory (mTCAM) is presented. A unit mTCAM cell consists of 5T2R, five transistors and two memristors to store the ternary information, having higher storage density than conventional CMOS TCAMs together with the memristors´ unique non-volatility. In the write mode, each memristor in the cell is programmed individually such that high impedance is always present between searchlines to reduce the direct current. A two-step write scheme is proposed to reduce the write voltage compliance, and the search voltage used to drive the search content was chosen to optimize the sensing margin. Simulation results for a 2×4 mTCAM array demonstrate the functionality and feasibility of the proposed mTCAM structure, in both write and search modes.