Nondestructive reading of a ferroelectric capacitor

A circuit and technique for accessing a ferroelectric memory to read polarization states without destruction thereof. A small-amplitude positive polarity pulse is applied to the ferroelectric capacitor, and the resultant positive charge read therefrom. Thereafter, a small-amplitude negative polarity pulse is applied to the ferroelectric capacitor, and the resultant negative charge read therefrom. Because of the nonlinear hysteresis characteristics of the ferroelectric capacitor, the positive and negative readout charges are of different amplitudes. Sense amplifier circuits produce a summation of the positive and negative readout signals, with a resulting summation polarity defining the polarization state initially stored in the ferroelectric capacitor.