Cascade Coding Scheme Based on the Reliability Problem of Resistive Random-Access Memory

Resistive random-access memory (ReRAM) is an ideal candidate for next-generation memory devices. However, its inherent sneak path issue limits its practical applications. This problem can be mitigated by integrating selectors in series with ReRAM cells. Nevertheless, unexpected failures of selectors during operation not only reintroduce the sneak path issue but also lead to new data loss problems. This paper addresses the data errors caused by selector failures in series-connected configurations. A cascade coding scheme is proposed for ReRAM arrays, utilizing Polar codes as the inner code to correct random errors across the array and Reed-Solomon (RS) codes as the outer code to address errors caused by sneak paths and selector-induced data loss. The cascade coding approach effectively reduces the bit error rate (BER) while maintaining a manageable decoding complexity.