Content addressable memory device, content addressable memory cell and method for single-bit multi-level data searching and comparing

Abstract

The application provides a content addressable memory (CAM) memory device, a CAM cell and a method for searching and comparing data thereof. The CAM device includes: a plurality of CAM cells; and an electrical characteristic detection circuit coupled to the CAM cells; wherein in data searching, a search data is compared with a storage data stored in the CAM cells, the CAM cells generate a plurality of memory cell currents, the electrical characteristic detection circuit detects the memory cell currents to generate a plurality of sensing results, or the electrical characteristic detection circuit detects a plurality of match line voltages on a plurality of match lines coupled to the CAM cells to generate the plurality of search results; and the storage data is a single-bit multi-level storage data and/or the search data is a single-bit multi-level search data.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.