EPROM

E0186100 (ē′prŏm′) n. Computers A programmable ROM that can be erased by exposure to ultraviolet light and then reprogrammed.

[e(rasable) p(rogrammable) r(ead-)o(nly) m(emory).]

EPROM

(ˈiːprɒm) n acronym for (Computer Science) erasable programmable read-only memory

EPROM

(ˈiˌprɒm)
n. a memory chip that can be reprogrammed any number of times, as to correct bugs, by first clearing its contents with ultraviolet light: used frequently in the manufacture of personal computers and peripherals. [1975–80; e(rasable) p(rogrammable) r(ead-)o(nly) m(emory)]

Thesaurus

Noun

EPROM - (computer science) a read-only memory chip that can be erased by ultraviolet light and programmed again with new dataerasable programmable read-only memoryfixed storage, read-only memory, read-only storage, ROM - (computer science) memory whose contents can be accessed and read but cannot be changedcomputer science, computing - the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures

Translations

EPROM

Computing erasable programmable read-only memory

EPROM

[′ē‚präm] (computer science) erasable programmable read-only memory

EPROM

Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory

EPROM

(Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) A rewritable storage chip that held its content without power. EPROM chips were written on an external programming device before being placed on the circuit board. For reprogramming, the chip was extracted from the circuit board and placed under an intense ultraviolet (UV) light for approximately 20 minutes (see ultraviolet light).

No longer used, EPROMS evolved into EEPROMs and flash memory, both of which can be erased in place on the circuit board. See EPROM programmer, EEPROM, flash memory and memory types.

A Floating Gate Holds the Charge
EPROMs used a transistor with a floating gate underneath a control gate. To program the bit, a high voltage was applied to the control gate. This caused electrons to tunnel through the insulating oxide layer into the floating gate, which impeded the subsequent operation of the control gate. The 0 or 1 was determined by whether the voltage on the control gate was blocked or not.

The floating gate could hold the charge for more than a decade or until the device was erased; however, EPROMs only supported a few hundred erase-write cycles.

An EPROM Cell

An EPROM cell acted like a permanently open or closed transistor. Charging was accomplished by applying voltage to the control gate. When the "floating gate" was charged, it impeded the flow of electrons from the control gate to the silicon, and the 0 or 1 was determined by whether the voltage on the control gate was blocked or not.

The Glass Window

EPROM packages had a glass cover so that the chip could be exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light for erasure. The ceramic chip package had a small quartz window for re-programming, and the package was more costly than other housings. The window was covered with opaque, sticky tape.

EPROM

Acronym	Definition
EPROM➣Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
EPROM➣Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory
EPROM➣Entrepreneurial Programming and Research on Mobiles (mobile phones; Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
EPROM➣Electronically Programmable Read-Only Memory
EPROM➣Electronic Program Read Only Memory

EPROM

Related to EPROM: flash memory, EPROM programmer, EEPROM

noun

Synonyms for EPROM

noun (computer science) a read-only memory chip that can be erased by ultraviolet light and programmed again with new data

Synonyms

erasable programmable read-only memory

Related Words

fixed storage
read-only memory
read-only storage
ROM
computer science
computing