Large-capacity content addressable memory

摘要

A large-capacity CAM (content addressable memory) is disclosed. RAM core cells are used to store the CAM data. The comparison function is not performed in the core cells, but rather in comparators which are placed adjacent to a plurality of core cells, in such a way that the plurality of core cells shares access to a single comparator. Access to the comparator is shared by a time-division multiplexed means, requiring a plurality of serialized operations. These operations are self-timed and transparent to the user, because they occur in a single cycle of the externally-supplied clock.