Chapter 15. Memory ICs
RAMs and ROMs
Memory devices are a special class of integrated circuits that are used to store binary data for later use. There are two main categories of semiconductor memories: Read-Only Memory (ROM) and Read-Write Memory (RWM).[1] Other components in the system can read (extract) data from ROM devices, but cannot write (insert) new data into them. By comparison, data can be read out of RWM devices and, if required, new data can be written back into them. The act of reading data out of a RWM does not affect the master copy of the data stored in the device.[2] For a number of reasons, mainly historical, RWMs are more commonly known as Random-Access Memories (RAMs).
1 There’s also an engineering joke called a Write-Only ...
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