Research Work
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Reducing Soft Errors in DRAM Memories
Computers require uncompromising reliability. Computer failures can bring down a critical system, corrupt sensitive data and even shut down the entire company operation. One of the critical components contributing to a computer systems' reliability is the memory subsystem. The DRAM chips used on all memory modules in computers today are highly susceptible to a particular failure mode - that of a single bit soft error.
Two naturally occurring
mechanisms can cause soft errors:
1.) Trace amounts of naturally occurring radioactive isotopes such as uranium
and thorium are present in the packaging materials of all integrated circuits.
These isotopes decay emitting alpha particles (the nuclei of helium atoms). The
alpha particles can knock the charge off a memory cell causing a soft error or
disrupt the sense amplifiers inside the chip during a read operation. (Low
emissivity die coat and mold compounds have been developed over many years to
reduce this soft error failure mode). 2.) Super Novas (stars that explode at the
last stage of their evolution) occur in outer space generating high energy
cosmic rays. These can also knock the charge from a memory cell.
My Research is to resume the number of errors in DRAM memory chips either by increasing capacitance or by increasing the Transistor size. I have to find an optimized technique for this problem.