Ternary Content Addressable Memory (TCAM) is hardware-based parallel lookup tables with bit-level masking capability. They are attractive for applications such as packet forwarding and classification in network routers. TCAMS are gaining importance in high-speed intensive applications. However, the high cost and power consumption are limiting their popularity and versatility. This paper presents the power reduction techniques for low-energy and high-performance TCAMS to reduce the power considerably without affecting the speed of operation. The considerable power reduction has been achieved through a layout drawn for various techniques in the 0.18μm CMOS technology. These techniques have been implemented in the Microwind 3.0 version tool. The simulation results show a significant power reduction in 0.18μm CMOS technology.

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CAM (Content Addressable Memory) TCAM (Ternary Content Addressable Memory) ML (Match Line) MLSA (ML Sense Amplifier)