Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory


electrically erasable programmable read-only memory

[i′lek·trə·klē i′rās·ə·bəl prō′gram·ə·bəl ′rēd ¦ōn·lē ′mem·rē] (computer science) An integrated-circuit memory chip that has an internal switch to permit a user to erase the contents of the chip and write new contents into it by means of electrical signals. Abbreviated EEPROM.

Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory

(storage)(EEPROM) A non-volatile storage device using atechnique similar to the floating gates in EPROMs but withthe capability to discharge the floating gate electrically.Usually bytes or words can be erased and reprogrammedindividually during system operation.

In contrast to RAM, writing takes much longer than readingand EEPROM is more expensive and less dense than RAM. It isappropriate for storing small amounts of data which is changedinfrequently, e.g. the hardware configuration of an AcornArchimedes.