Ferroelectric capacitance memory: Characterization of an autonous non-volatile ferroelectric memory latch

The basic operation of an autonomous non-volatile ferroelectric memory latch was determined. The circuit was laid out using discrete components which was used to characterize the design. The process of reading and writing data '0' and '1' onto the memory latch were tested and shown experimentally. Electrical characterization of the latch was also performed experimentally by measuring the voltages and currents at different stages of memory operation. Useful characteristics of the memory circuit were its ability to retrieve data and write data even after power was removed were analyzed. The advantages of the studied ferroelectric memory over conventional flash memories were also postulated. Finally the data retention times of the data stored in the ferroelectric memory were analyzed and predicted using a mathematical model developed in Microsoft Excel.