Talk:Semiconductor memory

Semiconductor intrisically random-access?

While I don't have a reliable source at hand, it should be obvious that semiconductor memory is not intrinsically random-access. See charge-coupled device and bubble memory. The issue is that there are many sources that state otherwise. This is however not because semiconductor memory is intrinsically random-access, but because of the nature of those sources. These sources tend to be modern textbooks, and currently, there aren't any sequential-access semiconductor memories available, so there is a tendency to ignore historical sequential-access semiconductor memories. This does not mean that a statement claiming an intrinsic property of semiconductor memory is random-access is true. AZ1199 (talk) 01:11, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

It is a good point @AZ1199: You are correct. I have rewritten the sentence to reflect that it's a property of most modern memory implementations, as there are examples of modern devices like the FIFO memory that do not allow a random access. Regards. --Crystallizedcarbon (talk) 07:53, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

Regarding the edit made in response to my OP: I'm sorry if I give the impression that I am being overly critical, but the provision of a FIFO as a counter-example of a semiconductor memory that isn't a RAM isn't entirely correct. While a FIFO memory doesn't present a number of addressable locations as its interface (it isn't possible to read or write to entry #10 in a 64-entry FIFO), that's only because its interface abstracts away the fact that it's commonly a RAM. In a RAM, the user provides the address for an operation; but in a FIFO, it's a pair of wrap-around counters that do (and these are incremented upon the assertion of a read or write enable signal). Thus, from the perspective of logic external to the FIFO, the FIFO appears as a black box that simply accepts values and reads out the oldest written value. Internally that's not quite true. That being said, there are FIFOs that are actually sequential (if my quick search of Google Books is accurate), so there is some truth to the current lead section.

Having had some time to think about this article, I'm actually questioning its necessity. The term "semiconductor memory" doesn't really mean much more than that the memory is constructed from semiconductor materials. Contrast this to what early computers used for their memories: devices such as electromechanical relays, vacuum tubes, and Williams tubes. There can't be too much to say about semiconductor memories, other than perhaps why it has displaced other forms of non-electronic or electronic memory. AZ1199 (talk) 23:58, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

Hello @AZ1199: How the FIFO queue is implemented internally is not relevant, by definition a queue is not random access. As far as implementation, most are designed using pointers, but a LIFO queue could be easy to implement sequentially by cascading flipflops with a bit of additional logic and without any need for pointers. I think that your first comment was correct and the current wording for the lead is now more accurate.

I understand you arguments about the relevance of the article, but I would not agree with deleting it, as it meets our notability requirements. Regards. --Crystallizedcarbon (talk) 15:01, 5 January 2016 (UTC)

"Memory Selection Criteria" section

@Aalagappan: @96.255.239.9: The recently added Memory Selection Criteria section, while it looks like it has lots of good information, is not written in the style of an encyclopedia article, but more as a selection manual or application guide for engineers. The first sentence is:

"Now that different types of memories have been explained, selecting the right type for your design and the associated challenges will be covered."

Many of the following bullet points are couched as advice, and many of the terms and acronyms are not explained. Wikipedia is not supposed to be a manual (WP:NOTMANUAL) or DIY or application guide (WP:NOTHOWTO). Most of the readers of this article are going to be nontechnically educated, and will be confused when their encyclopedia article morphs into an engineering application note. Could you please rewrite this section to be more appropriate for a general encyclopedia? Perhaps you could rewrite it as a glossary of terms that appear in memory chip datasheets, with a nontechnical explanation of each one. Thanks --Chetvorno^TALK 23:33, 12 December 2017 (UTC)

Also the section has no sources, and the title does not conform to WP:MOS standards. Section titles are written in WP:SENTENCECASE with only the first letter capitalized; as "Memory selection criteria". Thanks --Chetvorno^TALK 23:40, 12 December 2017 (UTC)

India Education Program course assignment

This article was the subject of an educational assignment at Department of Electronics and Telecommunication, College of Engineering, Pune, India supported by Wikipedia Ambassadors through the India Education Program during the 2011 Q3 term. Further details are available on the course page.

The above message was substituted from {{IEP assignment}} by PrimeBOT (talk) on 20:09, 1 February 2023 (UTC)