RAM- Random Access Memory

• Also known as Read /write or temporary or volatile memory

• Data is present 0nly with the supply of power
SRAM DRAM
Data storage Flip flops are used, bit is Data is stored as Charge between
stored as voltage GATE to substrate of a MOS
Transistor. As the charge may leak
off, it must be refreshed
frequently.
Each Memory cell 3- 6 transistors , it may be one transistor
has BJT’S -2 & Resistors -2 Or
4 MOS transistors
Density or storage less More
capacity
Speed Faster than DRAM, I.e low Slow in operation
access time
Cost and power More Less
consumption
 Secondary memory

Magnetic FD HD CD DVD BRD

tape
FD—Floppy disk
HD– Hard disk
CD—compact disk
DVD—Digital versatile disk
BRD--- Blue Ray disk
 Optical disks
• Light is used to write or read the data
• While writing the data , high intensity of light is used
Logic 1 ---stored as pit(small hole)
Logic 0 --- stored as blank ( light is off)
• While reading the data from the disk , low intensity of light is used. A
photodiode is used to interpret the reflection of light. 1—indicates less light
in reflection so less current at o/p
0---Indicates more light in the reflection , so more current.
The capacity of the optical disks is based on
1. Wavelength of light
2. Material used
3. Number of layers
In case of re-writable disks , Alloys are used as materials . High intensity of light
is used for writing and also for erasing.
 Primary memory

RAM ROM

SRAM DRAM Permanent Semi-permanent

STATIC RAM DYNAMIC RAM

MROM PROM EPROM EEPROM

• EPROM --- Erasable PROM: Memory chip contains a crystal window on it,
when exposed to UV light the data is erased.

Crystal window

Disadvantage: 1. requires 20min to erase data

2. chip has to be removed out of circuit board
EEPROM—Electrically erasable PROM
Data can be erased register level or completely, requires 10ms to write a data
byte

--- R0

-
--Rn
• Flash Memory:
Similar to EEPROM, but data can be erased at
block or sector level. It takes 10micro sec to write
a data byte
• Register memory: it is due to internal registers
inside the processor. More the number of general
purpose or scratch pad registers , more is the
speed of the processor.
• Bootstrap memory: Used to store programs
related to booting process. The process of loading
operating system software from secondary
memory to primary memory is known as booting.
• Cache Memory:

LEVEL 2 CACHE
LEVEL 1 CACHE
Main
SDFHH
4KB memory

• Used to store frequently used data and instructions.

• Used between Processor and main memory
• LEVEL 1 CACHE--- < 64KB
• LEVEL 2 CACHE -- < 2MB
• Memory Hierarchy:
• Speed & Cost Capacity
 I/o mapped I/o M/M mapped I/o
1. I/O address 8-bit 16 bit

2. devices 28 = 256,i.e 256 i/p & 256 216 = 65,536 addresses , they
o/p devices are shared b/w M/M and I/O
3. Instructions IN 8-bit port address LDA 16 bit address
used OUT 8-bit port address STA 16 bit address & ALL ALU
instructions related to M/m
4. Control signals MEMR, IOR, IOW MEMR, MEMW
5. Memory MORE LESS
space
available
6. Hardware Less More
required
7. IO/M 1 0