Storing a Bit in a Memory Cell

About this interactive

The Solid-State Memory Cells lesson starts from a transistor: a switch that lets current flow or stops it, depending on what is applied to its gate. On its own it stores nothing. As soon as the power goes, there is no state left. In the 1960s a charge trap was added between the gate and the semiconductor, which turned the transistor into a memory cell that holds one bit. Voltage on the gate changes the state of the trap. The trap keeps that state when the power is removed. To find out which bit is stored, power is applied to the cell, and whether current gets through depends on the trap. Put the steps in order, from writing the bit to reading it back.

What you'll learn

Put in order how a memory cell stores a bit in its charge trap, keeps it with no power, and is read back as a 1 or a 0

Key terms

Memory Cell: A storage unit created by adding a charge trap to a transistor, capable of permanently storing a single bit of data as either a one or zero.
Charge Trap: A layer added between the gate and semiconductor of a transistor that permanently retains an electrical state, enabling the transistor to store a bit of data even without power.
Transistor: A microscopic electronic switch found in microprocessors that represents a binary one (on) or zero (off) using electrical voltage.

Topics

Memory Cells Flash Memory Solid State Interactive Ordering

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