The AMchip: a full-custom CMOS VLSI associative memory for pattern recognition

An associative memory full-custom CMOS VLSI chip (AMchip), to be used in fast trigger systems for pattern recognition, has been designed and is being tested. The AMchip is a full-custom associative memory IC developed for high energy physics. It contains about 140000 MOS transistors, has been realized in 1.5- mu m, double-metal, silicon gate CMOS technology, and is housed in a 120-pin package. The AMchip has been designed to be used with any kind of detector which provides in the output the hit coordinates. Some preliminary tests have been done on the 55 prototypes received from the ES2 (European silicon structures) foundry. The performance test, limited by the equipment used, has shown that the AMchip can work with a 20-MHz clock.<
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