Yield and reliability enhancement techniques for novel memory devices

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Describe the proposed research in simple terms in a way that could be publicised to a general audience [up to 4000 chars]. Note that this summary will be automatically published on EPSRC's website in the event that a grant is awarded.The recently developed memory architectures based on resistive-variable devices such as Phase Charge Memories, Programmable Metallization Cell or memristors have reliability issues that are drastically different from those affecting CMOS based memories. These novel memories although based on different technologies, they all share the principle of storing information as the resistance value imposed to a resistive-variable devices and consequently also the possible type of faults that may occur.This project proposes to leverage data obtained from experimental results to characterize resistive-variable devices and to exploit both information and architectural redundancies to enhance reliability and yield of these devices. To face the presence of a massive number of defects suitable spare resources, such as spare row and/or columns will be used combined with suitable error detection methods and efficient readdressing scheme to substitute faulty elements. To leverage the use of spares resources, codes novel models and algorithms to estimate the reliability versus overhead trade-off will be developed, with the aim of obtaining a reliability-aware driven synthesis tool for these memory devices.