FeFET Multi-Level Cells For In-Memory Computing In 28nm

A technical paper titled “First demonstration of in-memory computing crossbar using multi-level Cell FeFET” was published by researchers at Robert Bosch, University of Stuttgart, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Fraunhofer IPMS, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, and Technical University of Munich.

Abstract:

“Advancements in AI led to the emergence of in-memory-computing architectures as a promising solution for the associated computing and memory challenges. This study introduces a novel in-memory-computing (IMC) crossbar macro utilizing a multi-level ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET) cell for multi-bit multiply and accumulate (MAC) operations. The proposed 1FeFET-1R cell design stores multi-bit information while minimizing device variability effects on accuracy. Experimental validation was performed using 28 nm HKMG technology-based FeFET devices. Unlike traditional resistive memory-based analog computing, our approach leverages the electrical characteristics of stored data within the memory cell to derive MAC operation results encoded in activation time and accumulated current. Remarkably, our design achieves 96.6% accuracy for handwriting recognition and 91.5% accuracy for image classification without extra training. Furthermore, it demonstrates exceptional performance, achieving 885.4 TOPS/W–nearly double that of existing designs. This study represents the first successful implementation of an in-memory macro using a multi-state FeFET cell for complete MAC operations, preserving crossbar density without additional structural overhead.”

Find the technical paper here. Published October 2023.

Soliman, T., Chatterjee, S., Laleni, N. et al. First demonstration of in-memory computing crossbar using multi-level Cell FeFET. Nat Commun 14, 6348 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42110-y

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