Memory Integrated Circuit

On a memory integrated circuit, or chip, there's an etched circuit that stores information. A memory chip stores data in devices like computers, cell phones, and digital cameras. Memory chips come in two types: volatile and non-volatile. Non-volatile memory chips keep their data even when power is removed, while volatile memory chips lose them when power is removed. Silicon is the most common material for memory chips. Typically, memory chips are divided into two categories: dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and static random access memory (SRAM). A DRAM memory chip stores data in cells that need to be refreshed every few milliseconds. SRAM memory chips don't need to be refreshed and can store data for years.

Memory chips have a specific capacity based on their number of cells. For example, a memory chip with one million cells can hold a megabyte. Memory chips are usually measured in nanoseconds (ns). Nanoseconds are billionths of a second. A memory chip's speed is determined by how fast it can access data cells. Generally, the faster the access time, the faster the memory chip. Over the past few years, memory chips have gotten faster and can store more data. Moreover, memory chips have gotten a lot cheaper in recent years.