Semiconductor Vs. Magnetic Vs. Optical Memory
Memory can also be classified into three categories according to manufacturing technology of how data is stored in the memory.
These are:
Semiconductor Memory
This type of memory stores data in the form of electrical charge or voltage. Due to the high speed, small size and volatile nature, it is used as the primary internal memory of a computer.
Examples: RAM, ROM, Register, Cache Memory etc.
Magnetic Memory
This memory stores data in magnetic form rather than electronic form. Due to low cost and high storage capacity, this memory is used as the external storage memory of a computer.
Examples: Magnetic tape memory, Magnetic disk memory (e.g. hard disk, floppy disk), magnetic core memory etc.
Optical Memory
This memory stores data in optical form rather than electronic or magnetic form. It uses a laser beam to write or read onto a specially coated disk. This type of memory is relatively low in cost, but immune to dust.
Examples: Compact disk (CD), Digital versatile disk (DVD).
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