Novel smart card SoC memory architecture based on embedded STT-MRAM

Abstract

In the applications of Internet of Things (IoT), the limitations of the common NVM + RAM hybrid memory architecture cannot simultaneously provided the solution of lower power, low resource consumption and nonvolatile which are critical for IoT designing. Spin Transfer Torque Magnetic Random Access Memory (STT-MRAM) has become a major candidate for on-chip memory because of its ideal memory characteristics, such as nonvolatile, near zero standby leakage power and compatibility with CMOS. Therefore, this paper focuses on the application of STT-MRAM in the storage of IoT. We design the eSTT-MRAM non-hybrid memory architecture for smart card SoCs. The prototype verification results on Xilinx's ARTIX-7 XC7A100T FPGA platform show that the STT-MRAM-based memory architecture can greatly improve the operating efficiency of SoC programs and reduce the dynamic power consumption of the system due to data storage.