Self-Healing Cellular Automata to Correct Soft Errors in Defective Embedded Program Memories

Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cells in ultra-low power Integrated Circuits (ICs) based on nanoscale Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) devices are likely to be the most vulnerable to large-scale soft errors. Conventional error correction circuits may not be able to handle the distri...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Voddi, Varun
Format: Others
Published: DigitalCommons@USU 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/509
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1505&context=etd
Description
Summary:Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cells in ultra-low power Integrated Circuits (ICs) based on nanoscale Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) devices are likely to be the most vulnerable to large-scale soft errors. Conventional error correction circuits may not be able to handle the distributed nature of such errors and are susceptible to soft errors themselves. In this thesis, a distributed error correction circuit called Self-Healing Cellular Automata (SHCA) that can repair itself is presented. A possible way to deploy a SHCA in a system of SRAM-based embedded program memories (ePM) for one type of chip multi-processors is also discussed. The SHCA is compared with conventional error correction approaches and its strengths and limitations are analyzed.