Abstract
The requirement of multilevel cell (MLC) resistive random access memory (RRAM) for computing is different than that for MLC storage. It generally requires a linearly spaced conductance median and an ultratight conductance distribution, as the column current are summed up for analog computation. In this article, 3-bit per cell RRAM that is suitable for accurate inference of a deep neural network (DNN) is demonstrated, with ultratight conductance distribution (<1.5% sigma). First, a two-loop write-verify protocol is proposed. Then, statistical experiments are conducted on RRAM array fabricated in Winbond's 90-nm process. By incorporating the measured conductance distribution into DNN simulation considering the real weight mapping, inference accuracy with only 0.5% degradation over software baseline is achieved for CIFAR-10 data set even when 128 rows are read-out in parallel. By enabling parallel read-out, the system-level energy efficiency and throughput could be improved by 5.3 \times and 4.4 \times , respectively, compared to the 3-bit per cell RRAM used as MLC storage.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Article number | 9174666 |
Pages (from-to) | 4621-4625 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices |
Volume | 67 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2020 |
Keywords
- Compute-in-memory (CIM)
- deep neural network (DNN)
- multilevel cell (MLC)
- resistive random access memory (RRAM)
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering