Ferroelectric materials as storage elements for digital computers and switching systems

THE growing need for improved types of data storage systems in both the digital computer and telephone switching fields has led to the investigation of ferroelectric materials as memory devices. Among the objectives in developing these devices have been low power consumption while storing or reading out information, memory access times of 1 microsecond or less, small size per bit of memory, simplified low cost construction, and high reliability. This paper presents an explanation of the operation of a basic storage circuit employing a ferroelectric material, requirements for suitable materials, descriptions of several types of circuits employing ferroelectrics, and experimental data obtained with operating circuits.