A
system and method are provided for reading ferroelectric memories in a manner that does away with a conventional requirement for inclusion of a charge or
sense amplifier associated with each ferroelectric
memory cell. Simple circuits are employed for modulating an AC
signal that is generated and input, including wirelessly, to the circuits where a
capacitance of a
ferroelectric capacitor acts as a filter. Depending upon whether the ferroelectric memory (
capacitor) is charged or discharged, it will have a different
capacitance, which will affect the impedance that the
signal sees. An ability to remotely read that
signal difference, as an indication of
capacitance, rather than an indication of charge, is provided to expand the use of ferroelectric memories to a broader spectrum of applications including use in RFID tags.