Date: 24/05/2009
Spansion unveiled new 32-128 Mb flash memory with SPI interface
Spansion has rolled out a new family of Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) Flash Memory devices in the capacity range of 32-megabits (Mb) up to 128-megabits. Each device supports the option for single (one-bit data bus), dual (two-bit data bus) or quad (four-bit data bus) serial I/O data transmission. The data-flow speed is 40MB/s (80 MHz per I/O in quad I/O mode).
"The Spansion MirrorBit SPI Multi-I/O family is the perfect fit for current market trends. Our customers are looking to reduce pin-count and cost without sacrificing performance," said Tom Eby, executive vice president of Spansion's Consumer, Set-Top Box & Industrial Division. "Spansion's SPI Multi-I/O family is the lowest pin-count Flash memory with standard parallel I/O NOR-type performance. With this latest offering, Spansion anticipates a rapid expansion in customer adoption of SPI solutions."
SPI is a serial interface where the data is flown in/out through single pin due to which the number of connections/pins reduced by large. This lowers cost, simplifies board layout and reduces the form factor of many embedded system designs where space is in demand. For a 32 Mb density flash device, the total pin count reduces from 47 active pins on a typical parallel NOR flash to eight active pins for an SPI flash.
With multiple I/O, devices can transmit and receive data either one, two or four bits at a time, enabling faster speeds while still requiring only eight total pins or four active pins to retain the original benefits of single I/O SPI. The enhanced performance means that serial devices can be used to support faster XIP code execution, potentially reducing the amount of RAM required by the system with slower SPI solutions and enabling faster system power up times.
These devices are targeted for applications such as optical disk drives, personal computers and high-end printers, as well as networking and home entertainment equipment such as digital TV, DVD players/recorders and set-top boxes.
The other features of this family are,
1. Offer security features via a freeze bit, locking the memory array and preventing additional writes to the device memory
2. A flexible sector architecture, providing small sector options (4KB or 8KB) for parameter data storage
One Time Programmable (OTP) area for permanent, secure identification.
This family also supports package compatibility, so that migrating from lower to higher density serial Flash memory can be made without changing board layout design.
Availability: 32 Mb device is in full production now. 64Mb device are expected in June 2009, and the 128 Mb device in Q4 2009.
Package:
32 Mb S25FL032P MirrorBit SPI Multi-I/O device is available in 8-pin SOIC (208 mil), 16-pin SOIC, USON (6mm x 5mm) or WSON (6mm x 8mm) packages. The 64 Mb S25FL064P and 128 Mb S25FL129P MirrorBit SPI Multi-I/O devices are available in 16-pin SOIC or 8-contact WSON (6mm x 8mm) packages.