FeRAM: Innovative alternative to EEPROM

FeRAM consumes less energy during writing and erasing than many other non-volatile memory technologies. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that FeRAM offers the possibility of writing individual bits independently, while other technologies usually write entire blocks (or pages). In these technologies, data is first collected and then written in blocks cyclically to minimize power consumption. The process of “waking up" (so called wakeup) and writing an entire block can be relatively slow and therefore consume more power. In comparison, FeRAM can store individual bits in memory without the overhead of writing blocks, resulting in a faster write process and lower power consumption.

This difference allows FeRAM to write more frequently with lower power consumption because it does not have to wait for the wake-up process and the block write operation. The ability to write single bits is one of FeRAM's strengths and contributes to its efficiency and low power requirements.

FeRAM offers an extremely high number of write and erase cycles (up to 1013 or more) compared to e.g. flash memories or EEPROM (typically 103 to 106 ). This results in a longer lifetime of the FeRAM. This makes it ideal for applications that require frequent write operations.

Unlike some magnetoresistive memory technologies such as MRAM, FeRAM is insensitive to magnetic fields. This means that the information stored in FeRAM is not lost or damaged when exposed to magnetic fields. The medical sector in particular also appreciates FeRAM's immunity to x-ray radiation (x-Ray Immunity).

FeRAM uses ferroelectric materials (e.g. PZT - lead zirconate titanate) for its memory cells. These materials can change their polarization to store information and maintain their state even when the power is turned off. More about this can be found in the section "Functionality of the FeRAM".

FeRAM is well suited for industrial control systems because it can store data quickly and reliably, even in the event of sudden power failures or other disturbances. This helps improve system performance and stability.

The properties of FeRAM make it an attractive choice for numerous measuring devices, including water meters, for example. For regulatory reasons, these often have to operate maintenance-free for several years, which means they have to work reliably even without battery replacement. Here, the low power consumption and high number of write cycles offered by FeRAM prove to be particularly advantageous. In addition, FeRAM captures large amounts of data in smart meter applications, such as information on energy consumption. In this context, the comparatively high write speed of FeRAM is also an important factor.

FeRAM is often the preferred choice for applications where it must be ensured that the last information is retained before an unexpected shutdown. This is the case, for example, with airbags in cars or the so-called black boxes (flight recorders) in aircraft. The non-volatile nature of FeRAM means that data is retained even without power, making it ideal for such critical applications. Although alternative non-volatile memory solutions exist, FeRAM offers additional advantages such as high write speed and a large number of write cycles, which often make it the best choice for these applications.

In the medical field, FeRAM is advantageous due to its properties, including its immunity to X-rays, and is already widely used. Medical devices such as pacemakers and insulin pumps use FeRAM to store critical patient data and device settings. In this context, FeRAM's fast write speeds and long lifetime can support the safe and reliable storage of this information. In addition, devices that use energy harvesting - operating without auxiliary power - could benefit from FeRAM's low energy consumption. These devices could harvest energy from sources such as motion or body temperature, and FeRAM's low energy requirements could help ensure that this energy is sufficient to power the device.