I/O Serial Flash Memory combines low voltage, high speed.
Press Release Summary:
Featuring 80 MHz operating frequency and specialized instruction set, 26WF Series Serial Quad I/O line of 4-bit multiplexed I/O serial interface devices enables execute-in-place capability. This lets programs be stored and executed directly from flash memory without code shadowing on SRAM. Operating from 1.8 V, product also offers read memory indexing, sustained burst data rates of up to 320 Mbps, and support for 8-, 16-, 32- and 64-byte burst mode operation with wrap around.
Original Press Release:
SST Unveils World's First Low-Voltage, High-Speed Quad I/O Serial Flash Memory
New 26WF Series SQI Flash Devices Achieve Fastest Random Access Performance of Any Quad-bit Serial Memory
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 2 -- SST (Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.) (NASDAQ:SSTI), a leader in flash memory technology, today announced the industry's first 1.8V, high-speed quad-bit serial flash memory. Featuring an 80 MHz operating frequency and a specialized instruction set, the new 26WF Series Serial Quad I/O (SQI) family of 4-bit multiplexed I/O serial interface devices enables execute-in-place (XIP) capability, allowing programs to be stored and executed directly from the flash memory without the need for code shadowing on an SRAM. The 26WF Series, the first high-performance 1.8V quad I/O serial flash product, marries the performance typically associated with parallel flash memory, with the low pin count and space savings of serial flash memory, plus reduced power. This combination of high performance and low power consumption is ideal for mobile handsets, Bluetooth headsets, GPS devices and other small form factor, portable electronics.
Today's announcement builds on the success of SST's 3.0V SQI flash products, the 26VF Series, which in April of this year won an Innovation of the Year Award from EDN Magazine. Both 26 Series devices from SST feature a novel read memory indexing feature that enables the devices to achieve the industry's fastest random access performance of any quad-bit serial memory. Read memory indexing allows the system to jump from one address to another within a 256-Byte page, within a 64-KByte block or from one block to another using indirect addressing. This results in a significant reduction in the number of clock cycles and dramatically accelerates data access.
With sustained burst data rates of up to 320 Mbit/sec., the 26WF Series devices provide serial flash performance exceeding that of typical parallel flash memory. To provide additional system speed and performance while reducing access time, the 26WF devices support 8-, 16-, 32- and 64-Byte burst mode operation with wrap around. This feature allows designers to execute code in burst snippets for RAM-less applications or fill cache line buffers for applications where the system architecture uses pipelining to maximize bus bandwidth.
The 26WF Series SQI devices offer memory write performance enhancements to improve overall device performance, including flexible erase capability to erase small block sectors on the chip in as little as 25 ms or the entire flash memory chip in 50 ms. The devices also support write suspend and resume operation so a program can suspend a write operation to access another block of memory within the same clock cycle.
"The mobile phone industry, in particular, has been yearning for a serial memory solution with high performance and extremely low power consumption and we are proud to be the first in the industry to achieve this highly challenging accomplishment," said Douglas Lee, vice president, Memory Products, SST. "In addition to performance and power consumption advantages, our new 26WF Series offers designers of ultra low-cost mobile handsets with a low pin count, quad I/O protocol serial flash memory that is straightforward and easy to integrate, enabling continued system cost reduction. Today's announcement solidifies our leadership in low-voltage, high-speed serial flash memory and underscores our commitment to providing customers with the solutions they need to achieve their design goals."
The 26WF Series SQI devices are built upon SST's native 1.8V SuperFlash memory cell, providing inherently higher performance when compared to alternative quad-bit devices that would require power-hungry charge pump circuitry for 1.8V operation, resulting in performance limitations. The 26WF Series products offer superior reliability of 100,000 cycles endurance (typical) and greater than 100 years data retention. The active read current of the devices is only 15 milliamperes (typical at 80 MHz) and standby current is a mere 10 microamperes (typical).
To ensure code security, all 26WF Series devices support software write protection for individual blocks, the upper and lower 64-KBytes of memory are partitioned into smaller 8-KByte sectors that can both read- and write-lock. In addition, the devices include a one-time programmable secure ID area, consisting of a 64-bit factory programmed unique ID and a 192-bit user programmable block.
All 26WF Series SQI devices are available in both commercial and industrial temperature ranges, and are offered in an 8-contact WSON (6mm x 5mm) or 8-lead SOIC (200 mil) package. In addition to the 1.8V 26WF Series, SST offers 3.0V SQI devices in 16 Mbit and 32Mbit densities.
Pricing and Availability
The first product in the 26WF Series SQI family is the 32 Mbit SST26WF032. Samples of the product are available now to select customers, with volume production scheduled for Q1 2010. Pricing for the SST26WF032 device is $3.20 each in 10K unit quantities. Additional products in the series will be announced at a later date.
About Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, SST designs, manufactures and markets a diversified range of memory and non-memory products for high volume applications in the digital consumer, networking, wireless communications and Internet computing markets. Leveraging its proprietary, patented SuperFlash technology, SST is a leading provider of nonvolatile memory solutions with product families that include various densities of high functionality flash memory components and flash mass storage products. The Company also offers its SuperFlash technology for embedded applications through its broad network of world-class manufacturing partners and technology licensees, including TSMC, which offers it under its trademark Emb-FLASH. SST's non-memory products include NAND controller-based products, smart card ICs and modules, flash microcontrollers and radio frequency ICs and modules. Further information on SST can be found on the company's Web site at www.sst.com/.
For more information about SST and the company's comprehensive list of product offerings, please call 1-888/SST-CHIP. Information can also be requested via email to literature@sst.com or through SST's Web site at www.sst.com/. SST's head office is located at 1171 Sonora Court, Sunnyvale, Calif.; telephone: 408/735-9110; fax: 408/735-9036.
The SST logo and SuperFlash are registered trademarks, and Serial Quad I/O and SQI are trademarks of Silicon Storage Technology, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
