non-destructive read

non-destructive read (plural non-destructive reads)

1. (computing, often attributive) A read operation that does not erase the data being read in the process of reading it.

   Although non-destructive reads are theoretically possible with FeRAM, the process - requiring illumination of the memory cells with UV light - is completely impractical for most purposes, favoring the more-practical (but destructive) method of forcing every cell to 0, seeing which cells produced a tiny current pulse, and writing back 1s to those cells.

• destructive read