Bipolar dynamic memory cell

A bipolar dynamic memory cell for use in a high-speed random- access memory consists of a cross-coupled pair of transistors and two diodes. Information is dynamically stored using a bistable charge distribution and must be refreshed at a frequency of 1 kHz by a SELECT operation. Standby power per memory cell is in the nanowatt range. The cell requires only 3 interconnect lines and can be fabricated with standard bipolar technology on 12-mil/SUP 2/ silicon area. Cycle time is limited by the speed of decoding, driving, and sensing circuits and is estimated to be 50 ns for a 512-bit RAM chip with complete on-chip decoding.