However, EPROM was found to be economical as a part for small volume production. It was assumed that EPROM was too expensive for mass production and would be used in development only. Image Credit: ATMEL Applications of EPROM Ultraviolet light is used to cause ionization within the oxide which allows the stored charge to dissipate and the memory is also deleted. The programming process in EPROM is not reversible electrically. All this is followed by a control gate electrode and more oxide.ĭata can be extracted from the EPROM by decoding the address at the address pins and then connecting it to the output buffers. An insulated layer of oxide covers the channel and then a conductive gas electrode on top of it. This channel contains source and drain contacts at its ends.
This field effect transistor contains a channel. EPROM OperationĪ single field effect transistor constitutes a storage location. The silicon chip is visible from this window. After that, the data can be erased by exposing the EPROM to strong ultraviolet light.Īn EPROM contains a transparent fused quartz window at the top of the package which allows exposure to ultraviolet light. Each EPROM is individually programmed by an electronic device. it retains data even when the power is switched off. The Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory is a memory chip that does not lose data even when the power is switched off.