Maskable associative memory design for VLSI pattern inspection

High-speed pattern matching systems are required in many applications, especially in the area of pattern recognition. The associative memory is an ideal pattern matching unit because of its parallel matching capability. Furthermore, the advances in VLSI technology have made it possible to fabricate the high-speed associative memory in an integrated circuit. This paper describes a maskable associative memory design for implementing a VLSI pattern inspection system.