Non-volatile electronic memory

US4860254A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• BAYER HEALTHCARE LLC · DE

Inventors

• Richard Pott · Lage, DE
• Aloys Eiling · Bochum, DE
• Gunther Kampf

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 27, 1987
• Grant date: Aug 22, 1989
• Expiry date: Jan 27, 2007

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G11C14/00
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A volatile semiconductor memory module (RAM) is combined with a permanent memory based on an electrically polarizable, preferably ferroelectric, layer within an integrated monolithic module in such a manner that, as a result of a STORE command, the information present in the semiconductor memory is permanently stored by polarization of selected regions of the electrically polarizable layer. In the same way the permanently stored information can be read out again as a result of a RECALL command and returned to the semiconductor memory. Preferably, a ferroelectrically polarizable layer 11 is applied to the semiconductor memory, which layer, in the same way as the semiconductor memory, is provided on its upper side and underside with word and bit lines in the form of strip electrodes, 9,12. The strip electrode system 9 on the underside of the ferroelectric layer 11 simultaneously forms the word or bit line system of the semiconductor memory facing the surface. In this manner each semiconductor memory cell 7 is clearly allocated a non-volatile ferroelectric memory cell 13.