Introduction to
CMOS VLSI
Design
Lecture 14:
CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
Credits: David Harris
Harvey Mudd College
(Material taken/adapted from
Harris’ lecture notes)
Outline
 Content-Addressable Memories
 Read-Only Memories
 Programmable Logic Arrays
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 2
CAMs
 Extension of ordinary memory (e.g. SRAM)
– Read and write memory as usual
– Also match to see which words contain a key
adr
data/key
read
CAM
match
write
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 3
10T CAM Cell
 Add four match transistors to 6T SRAM
– 56 x 43 l unit cell
bit
bit_b
word
cell_b
cell
match
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 4
CAM Cell Operation
address
read/write
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CAM cell
clk
CMOS VLSI Design
weak
miss
match0
row decoder
 Read and write like ordinary SRAM
 For matching:
– Leave wordline low
– Precharge matchlines
– Place key on bitlines
– Matchlines evaluate
 Miss line
– Pseudo-nMOS NOR of match lines
– Goes high if no words match
match1
match2
match3
column circuitry
data
Slide 5
Read-Only Memories
 Read-Only Memories are nonvolatile
– Retain their contents when power is removed
 Mask-programmed ROMs use one transistor per bit
– Presence or absence determines 1 or 0
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 6
ROM Example
 4-word x 6-bit ROM
– Represented with dot diagram
– Dots indicate 1’s in ROM
weak
pseudo-nMOS
pullups
A1 A0
Word 0: 010101
Word 1: 011001
Word 2: 100101
Word 3: 101010
2:4
DEC
ROM Array
Y5
Y4
Y3
Y2
Y1
Y0
Looks like 6 4-input pseudo-nMOS NORs
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 7
ROM Array Layout
 Unit cell is 12 x 8 l (about 1/10 size of SRAM)
Unit
Cell
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 8
Row Decoders
 ROM row decoders must pitch-match with ROM
– Only a single track per word!
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 9
Complete ROM Layout
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 10
PROMs and EPROMs
 Programmable ROMs
– Build array with transistors at every site
– Burn out fuses to disable unwanted transistors
 Electrically Programmable ROMs
– Use floating gate to turn off unwanted transistors
– EPROM, EEPROM, Flash
Source
Gate
Drain
Polysilicon
Floating Gate
Thin Gate Oxide
(SiO2)
n+
n+
p
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
bulk Si
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 11
Building Logic with ROMs
 Use ROM as lookup table containing truth table
– n inputs, k outputs requires __ words x __ bits
– Changing function is easy – reprogram ROM
 Finite State Machine
– n inputs, k outputs, s bits of state
– Build with ________ bit ROM and ____ bit reg
inputs
n
ROM Array
2n wordlines
DEC
inputs
n ROM k
s
outputs
k
s
state
k outputs
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 12
Building Logic with ROMs
 Use ROM as lookup table containing truth table
– n inputs, k outputs requires 2n words x k bits
– Changing function is easy – reprogram ROM
 Finite State Machine
– n inputs, k outputs, s bits of state
– Build with 2n+s x (k+s) bit ROM and (k+s) bit reg
inputs
n
ROM Array
2n wordlines
DEC
inputs
n ROM k
s
outputs
k
s
state
k outputs
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 13
Example: RoboAnt
Let’s build an Ant
Sensors: Antennae
(L,R) – 1 when in contact
Actuators: Legs
Forward step F
Ten degree turns TL, TR
Goal:
L
R
make our ant smart enough to
get out of a maze
Strategy: keep right antenna on wall
(RoboAnt adapted from MIT 6.004 2002 OpenCourseWare by Ward and Terman)
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 14
Lost in space
 Action: go forward until we hit something
– Initial state
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 15
Bonk!!!
 Action: turn left (rotate counterclockwise)
– Until we don’t touch anymore
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 16
A little to the right
 Action: step forward and turn right a little
– Looking for wall
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 17
Then a little to the right
 Action: step and turn left a little, until not touching
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 18
Whoops – a corner!
 Action: step and turn right until hitting next wall
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 19
Simplification
 Merge equivalent states where possible
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 20
State Transition Table
Lost
RCCW
Wall1
Wall2
S1:0
00
00
00
01
01
01
10
10
11
11
11
L
0
1
0
1
0
0
X
X
1
0
0
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
R
0
X
1
X
1
0
0
1
X
0
1
S1:0’
00
01
01
01
01
10
10
11
01
10
11
TR
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
CMOS VLSI Design
TL
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
F
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
Slide 21
ROM Implementation
 16-word x 5 bit ROM
L, R
S1 S0 L R
TL, TR, F
ROM
S'1:0
S1:0
0000
0001
0010
0011
0100
4:16 DEC
0101
0110
0111
1000
1001
1010
1011
1100
1101
1110
1111
S1' S0' TR'TL' F'
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 22
ROM Implementation
 16-word x 5 bit ROM
L, R
S1 S0 L R
TL, TR, F
ROM
S'1:0
S1:0
0000
0001
0010
0011
0100
4:16 DEC
0101
0110
0111
1000
1001
1010
1011
1100
1101
1110
1111
S1' S0' TR'TL' F'
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 23
PLAs
 A Programmable Logic Array performs any function
in sum-of-products form.
 Literals: inputs & complements
 Products / Minterms: AND of literals
 Outputs: OR of Minterms
bc
AND Plane
OR Plane
 Example: Full Adder
s  abc  abc  abc  abc
cout  ab  bc  ac
a
b
Inputs
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
c
s
Minterms
ac
ab
abc
abc
abc
abc
cout
Outputs
Slide 24
NOR-NOR PLAs
 ANDs and ORs are not very efficient in CMOS
 Dynamic or Pseudo-nMOS NORs are very efficient
 Use DeMorgan’s Law to convert to all NORs
AND Plane
a
b
OR Plane
AND Plane
bc
bc
ac
ac
ab
ab
abc
abc
abc
abc
abc
abc
abc
abc
c
a
s
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
OR Plane
b
c
s
cout
CMOS VLSI Design
cout
Slide 25
PLA Schematic & Layout
AND Plane
OR Plane
bc
ac
ab
abc
abc
abc
abc
a
b
c
s
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
cout
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 26
PLAs vs. ROMs
 The OR plane of the PLA is like the ROM array
 The AND plane of the PLA is like the ROM decoder
 PLAs are more flexible than ROMs
– No need to have 2n rows for n inputs
– Only generate the minterms that are needed
– Take advantage of logic simplification
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
Slide 27
Example: RoboAnt PLA
 Convert state transition table to logic equations
S1:0
00
00
00
01
01
01
10
10
11
11
11
L
0
1
0
1
0
0
X
X
1
0
0
R
0
X
1
X
1
0
0
1
X
0
1
S1:0’
00
01
01
01
01
10
10
11
01
10
11
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
TR
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
TL
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
1
1
F
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
CMOS VLSI Design
TR  S1 S0
TL  S0
F  S1  S0
Slide 28
RoboAnt Dot Diagram
AND Plane
OR Plane
S1'  S1 S0  LS1  LRS0
S0
S1
S0
LS 0
S 0'  R  LS1  LS0
TR  S1 S0
TL  S0
LS1
R
LRS 0
LS1
S1 S 0
F  S1  S0
S1
S0
L
R
S1 ' S0 ' TR
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
TL F
Slide 29
RoboAnt Dot Diagram
AND Plane
OR Plane
S1'  S1 S0  LS1  LRS0
S0
S1
S0
LS 0
S 0'  R  LS1  LS0
TR  S1 S0
TL  S0
LS1
R
LRS 0
LS1
S1 S 0
F  S1  S0
S1
S0
L
R
S1 ' S0 ' TR
14: CAMs, ROMs, and PLAs
CMOS VLSI Design
TL F
Slide 30