- #1
Transistors: Tiny Silicon Crystals, Memory Cells, & Shrinking Bits
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Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the nature of transistors, their role in memory cells, and the concept of "shrinking bits" in the context of memory chips. Participants explore the structure and function of transistors, the capacity of memory chips, and the principles behind data storage in dynamic RAM (DRAM).
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- One participant states that transistors are tiny silicon crystals and questions how many transistors a memory chip can hold, suggesting a figure of 4.
- Another participant corrects the initial claim, noting that a 64Mb Dynamic RAM chip contains over 67 million transistors, and a 1Gb chip has over 1 billion.
- There is uncertainty regarding the term "shrinking bit," with one participant suggesting it may refer to the number of atoms needed to store a single bit of data.
- A participant mentions that DRAM does not utilize a 4-transistor cell, indicating that information is stored in a capacitor instead.
- Questions arise about how to calculate the number of memory cells a memory chip can hold, indicating a need for clarification on this topic.
- One participant refers to a diagram and asks if it performs operations related to a previously attached diagram, seeking further explanation.
- Another participant describes a memory cell as equivalent to a more complex circuit, suggesting that the complexity is hidden in the design.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the number of transistors in memory chips and the nature of data storage in DRAM. There is no consensus on the concept of "shrinking bits," and the discussion remains unresolved regarding the calculation of memory cell capacity.
Contextual Notes
Some claims about the number of transistors and the functioning of memory cells depend on specific definitions and may not account for variations in technology. The discussion includes unresolved questions about the diagrams referenced and the calculations related to memory chip capacity.
- #2
davenn
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 9,725
- 11,821
hi there
welcome to PF
all your questions could have been answered on google
here's something to get you started.....
a few more than that ....
eg.
a 64Mb Dynamic RAM chip has over 67 million transistors on it
a 1Gb Dynamic RAM chip has over 1 billion transistors on it
not 100% sure of what you are referring to ... maybe this ...
the number of atoms of material needed to be able to store 1 bit of dataDave
welcome to PF
all your questions could have been answered on google
here's something to get you started.....
nabil__ said:
a few more than that ....
eg.
a 64Mb Dynamic RAM chip has over 67 million transistors on it
a 1Gb Dynamic RAM chip has over 1 billion transistors on it
nabil__ said:
not 100% sure of what you are referring to ... maybe this ...
the number of atoms of material needed to be able to store 1 bit of dataDave
- #3
nabil__
- 7
- 0
davenn said:hi there
welcome to PF
all your questions could have been answered on google
here's something to get you started.....
a few more than that ....
eg.
a 64Mb Dynamic RAM chip has over 67 million transistors on it
a 1Gb Dynamic RAM chip has over 1 billion transistors on it
not 100% sure of what you are referring to ... maybe this ...
the number of atoms of material needed to be able to store 1 bit of dataDave
- #4
- #5
- #6
- #7
nabil__
- 7
- 0
How to calculate that how many memory cell a memory chip can hold ?
- #8
Svein
Science Advisor
- 2,316
- 813
DRAM does not use a 4-transistor cell, they store the information in a capacitor.
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