George Perlegos | |
|---|---|
| Γεώργιος Πυρλήκος | |
 | |
| Born | 1950 |
| Nationality | American, Greek |
| Alma mater | San Jose State University (BS) Stanford University (MS) |
| Known for | Invention of the N-channel EPROM, EEPROM, founder and CEO of Atmel |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | |
| Website | https://www.georgeperlegos.com/ |
George Perlegos (born 1950) is a Greek-American computer scientist and engineer, best known for pioneering the use of EEPROM and founding Atmel.
Perlegos was born in 1950 to parents Eleni and Pete Perlegos in Arcadia, Greece. Perlegos and his two brothers came to the United States in 1962 and he began working as a grape farmer. He finished high school in Lodi, California, and graduated from San Jose State University in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. [1] He later completed a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University in 1975, and from 1975–1978 attended courses there in pursuit of a PhD.
In 1972, his first job after San Jose State was at American Micro Systems Inc (AMI), [1] then a leading supplier of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). His first assignment there was to design a single-chip calculator using MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) integrated circuits technology. He simultaneously enrolled in Stanford University to learn more about MOS processing and circuit design. [2] He stayed with AMI through 1974.
While attending Stanford, Perlegos interviewed at Intel Corporation. At this time Intel had a new project to develop nonvolatile memory technologies and a new semiconductor chip. After learning about the opportunities to work on these new technologies during the interview, he left AMI for Intel in 1974. While at Intel, he became an expert in semiconductor device physics, circuit design, and semiconductor fabrication processes. His first task, to design and develop an N-channel EPROM [3] [4] different from its predecessor the P-channel EPROM, that would work with the microprocessors Intel was developing at the time. [5] The project known as the 2708, was introduced by Intel in 1975. [6] His invention of the N-channel EPROM was important, as it was the first time a positive voltage and channel injection was used for a nonvolatile memory device, thus requiring significantly lower voltage than its P-channel predecessor. [2] [3] The 2708 was a revolutionary chip, particularly for use with microprocessors. [5] In 1978, Perlegos designed and developed the Intel 2816, an Electrically Erasable PROM (EEPROM) [3] that eliminated the lengthy UV exposure cycle using tunneling to both program and erase the memory. [5]
Leaving Intel with other Intel employees in 1981, he founded SEEQ Technology. He developed an improved version of EEPROM. [7] that could be programmed and erased on the system board for the first time. [3] [8] The improved version of EEPROM "A 5V-only 16K EEPROM utilizing oxynitride dielectrics" could be programmed and erased on the system board for the first time. It used an on-chip charge pump to generate required programming voltages. [9] It was this ability to program and erase at system levels that allowed EEPROM/FLASH devices to be incorporated in all computers, laptops, cellphones etc [6] [8]
In 1984, Perlegos founded Atmel corporation [10] and was CEO of Atmel from 1984 to 2006. The firm created many embedded EEPROM and flash memory devices, was a pioneer in NVM, as well as the world’s first microcontroller with on-chip flash. [11] [12] [13]
Computer memory stores information, such as data and programs for immediate use in the computer. The term memory is often synonymous with the term primary storage or main memory. An archaic synonym for memory is store.
A microcontroller or microcontroller unit (MCU) is a small computer on a single integrated circuit. A microcontroller contains one or more CPUs along with memory and programmable input/output peripherals. Program memory in the form of ferroelectric RAM, NOR flash or OTP ROM is also often included on chip, as well as a small amount of RAM. Microcontrollers are designed for embedded applications, in contrast to the microprocessors used in personal computers or other general purpose applications consisting of various discrete chips.
A programmable read-only memory (PROM) is a form of digital memory where the contents can be changed once after manufacture of the device. The data is then permanent and cannot be changed. It is one type of read-only memory (ROM). PROMs are used in digital electronic devices to store permanent data, usually low level programs such as firmware or microcode. The key difference from a standard ROM is that the data is written into a ROM during manufacture, while with a PROM the data is programmed into them after manufacture. Thus, ROMs tend to be used only for large production runs with well-verified data. PROMs may be used where the volume required does not make a factory-programmed ROM economical, or during development of a system that may ultimately be converted to ROMs in a mass produced version.
Flash memory is an electronic non-volatile computer memory storage medium that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. The two main types of flash memory, NOR flash and NAND flash, are named for the NOR and NAND logic gates. Both use the same cell design, consisting of floating gate MOSFETs. They differ at the circuit level depending on whether the state of the bit line or word lines is pulled high or low: in NAND flash, the relationship between the bit line and the word lines resembles a NAND gate; in NOR flash, it resembles a NOR gate.
EEPROM or E2PROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory) is a type of non-volatile memory. It is used in computers, usually integrated in microcontrollers such as smart cards and remote keyless systems, or as a separate chip device, to store relatively small amounts of data by allowing individual bytes to be erased and reprogrammed.
A programmable logic device (PLD) is an electronic component used to build reconfigurable digital circuits. Unlike digital logic constructed using discrete logic gates with fixed functions, the function of a PLD is undefined at the time of manufacture. Before the PLD can be used in a circuit it must be programmed to implement the desired function. Compared to fixed logic devices, programmable logic devices simplify the design of complex logic and may offer superior performance. Unlike for microprocessors, programming a PLD changes the connections made between the gates in the device.
An EPROM, or erasable programmable read-only memory, is a type of programmable read-only memory (PROM) chip that retains its data when its power supply is switched off. Computer memory that can retrieve stored data after a power supply has been turned off and back on is called non-volatile. It is an array of floating-gate transistors individually programmed by an electronic device that supplies higher voltages than those normally used in digital circuits. Once programmed, an EPROM can be erased by exposing it to strong ultraviolet (UV) light source. EPROMs are easily recognizable by the transparent fused quartz window on the top of the package, through which the silicon chip is visible, and which permits exposure to ultraviolet light during erasing.
Atmel Corporation was a creator and manufacturer of semiconductors before being subsumed by Microchip Technology in 2016. Atmel was founded in 1984. The company focused on embedded systems built around microcontrollers. Its products included microcontrollers radio-frequency (RF) devices including Wi-Fi, EEPROM, and flash memory devices, symmetric and asymmetric security chips, touch sensors and controllers, and application-specific products. Atmel supplies its devices as standard products, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or application-specific standard product (ASSPs) depending on the requirements of its customers.
Non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM) is random-access memory that retains data without applied power. This is in contrast to dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and static random-access memory (SRAM), which both maintain data only for as long as power is applied, or forms of sequential-access memory such as magnetic tape, which cannot be randomly accessed but which retains data indefinitely without electric power.
Programmable Array Logic (PAL) is a family of programmable logic device semiconductors used to implement logic functions in digital circuits introduced by Monolithic Memories, Inc. (MMI) in March 1978. MMI obtained a registered trademark on the term PAL for use in "Programmable Semiconductor Logic Circuits". The trademark is currently held by Lattice Semiconductor.
Non-volatile memory (NVM) or non-volatile storage is a type of computer memory that can retain stored information even after power is removed. In contrast, volatile memory needs constant power in order to retain data.
A programmer, device programmer, chip programmer, device burner, or PROM writer is a piece of electronic equipment that arranges written software or firmware to configure programmable non-volatile integrated circuits, called programmable devices. The target devices include PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash memory, eMMC, MRAM, FeRAM, NVRAM, PLDs, PLAs, PALs, GALs, CPLDs, FPGAs, and microcontrollers.
Semiconductor memory is a digital electronic semiconductor device used for digital data storage, such as computer memory. It typically refers to devices in which data is stored within metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) memory cells on a silicon integrated circuit memory chip. There are numerous different types using different semiconductor technologies. The two main types of random-access memory (RAM) are static RAM (SRAM), which uses several transistors per memory cell, and dynamic RAM (DRAM), which uses a transistor and a MOS capacitor per cell. Non-volatile memory uses floating-gate memory cells, which consist of a single floating-gate transistor per cell.
The floating-gate MOSFET (FGMOS), also known as a floating-gate MOS transistor or floating-gate transistor, is a type of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) where the gate is electrically isolated, creating a floating node in direct current, and a number of secondary gates or inputs are deposited above the floating gate (FG) and are electrically isolated from it. These inputs are only capacitively connected to the FG. Since the FG is surrounded by highly resistive material, the charge contained in it remains unchanged for long periods of time, nowadays typically longer than 10 years. Usually Fowler-Nordheim tunneling and hot-carrier injection mechanisms are used to modify the amount of charge stored in the FG.
Charge trap flash (CTF) is a semiconductor memory technology used in creating non-volatile NOR and NAND flash memory. It is a type of floating-gate MOSFET memory technology, but differs from the conventional floating-gate technology in that it uses a silicon nitride film to store electrons rather than the doped polycrystalline silicon typical of a floating-gate structure. This approach allows memory manufacturers to reduce manufacturing costs five ways:
SONOS, short for "silicon–oxide–nitride–oxide–silicon", more precisely, "polycrystalline silicon"—"silicon dioxide"—"silicon nitride"—"silicon dioxide"—"silicon", is a cross sectional structure of MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor), realized by P.C.Y. Chen of Fairchild Camera and Instrument in 1977. This structure is often used for non-volatile memories, such as EEPROM and flash memories. It is sometimes used for TFT LCD displays. It is one of CTF (charge trap flash) variants. It is distinguished from traditional non-volatile memory structures by the use of silicon nitride (Si3N4 or Si9N10) instead of "polysilicon-based FG (floating-gate)" for the charge storage material. A further variant is "SHINOS" ("silicon"—"hi-k"—"nitride"—"oxide"—"silicon"), which is substituted top oxide layer with high-κ material. Another advanced variant is "MONOS" ("metal–oxide–nitride–oxide–silicon"). Companies offering SONOS-based products include Cypress Semiconductor, Macronix, Toshiba, United Microelectronics Corporation and Floadia.
Fujio Masuoka is a Japanese engineer, who has worked for Toshiba and Tohoku University, and is currently chief technical officer (CTO) of Unisantis Electronics. He is best known as the inventor of flash memory, including the development of both the NOR flash and NAND flash types in the 1980s. He also invented the first gate-all-around (GAA) MOSFET (GAAFET) transistor, an early non-planar 3D transistor, in 1988.
Read-only memory (ROM) is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be electronically modified after the manufacture of the memory device. Read-only memory is useful for storing software that is rarely changed during the life of the system, also known as firmware. Software applications for programmable devices can be distributed as plug-in cartridges containing ROM.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to electronics:
The memory cell is the fundamental building block of computer memory. The memory cell is an electronic circuit that stores one bit of binary information and it must be set to store a logic 1 and reset to store a logic 0. Its value is maintained/stored until it is changed by the set/reset process. The value in the memory cell can be accessed by reading it.