STMicroelectronics launches first 1-, 2- and 4-Mbit serial Flash chips designed for automotive

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STMicroelectronics launches first 1-, 2- and 4-Mbit serial Flash chips designed for automotive [Copy link]

STMicroelectronics has launched a new generation of serial flash memory chips . The new products have a density range of 1 to 4Mbit and are designed specifically for automotive applications with extremely high reliability requirements. The new M25P10-A , M25P20 and M25P40 memory chips have densities of 1Mbit, 2Mbit and 4Mbit respectively. These three products are recognized as the first batch of serial flash memory ICs whose durability and strength meet the requirements of automotive environments. These products use ST's advanced manufacturing technology that has been proven in mass production, providing a high-reliability solution for automotive applications. These products have obtained automotive-grade product quality certificates and have passed AEC-Q100 standard certification. In addition, the new products have been tested by ST's unique high reliability certification process (HRCF) to ensure that the chip can work in the automotive temperature range of -40°C to +125°C, meeting the quality and reliability requirements of the car. This test process, combined with statistical tools such as SBL (Statistical Box Limit) and PAT (Component Average Test), can screen out early failures and outliers on wafers and dies, achieving the full reliability goal of zero PPM failure rate for the car. Because they can maintain high-speed data access operations at frequencies up to 25MHz within the automotive operating temperature range, the new products are particularly suitable for high-performance engine management, transmission control modules and safety applications as well as in-vehicle systems such as instrument panels, multimedia displays and audio systems. Selecting a serial flash product can save application space and cost because they use extremely small packages and 4-wire buses; the new products further reduce costs by occupying only a few I/O pins on a microcontroller or ASIC. The M25P10-A, M25P20 and M25P40 integrate a standard 4-wire SPI bus and an improved 25MHz data transmission clock. The operating power supply voltage is 2.7V to 3.6V, with a 1μA deep power-down function, which minimizes the overall power consumption. The data retention period is at least 20 years, and the storage sector can withstand 10,000 erase and write cycles over the entire automotive temperature range. Using the page programming instruction, 1 to 256 bytes can be written to the memory each time ; the erase operation is divided into body erase and sector erase. The new product adopts the popular S08 narrow package (150 mils), which uses ST's lead-free technology that complies with the ECOPACK RoHS standard. Products of different densities are compatible with each other, including pin-to-pin board positions, software configuration protocols and power consumption performance. Because of these features, it is easier to upgrade the design to higher density, and the flexibility of application board design is excellent. All products are manufactured in ST's ISO/TS 16949:2002 certified in-house facilities, enabling excellent performance and reliability for existing and future automotive needs. Engineering samples for customer evaluation are available now, with volume production scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2006. An 8Mb flash memory chip is also planned for the end of 2006. The unit prices for the M25P10-A, M25P20 and M25P40 are $0.95, $1.20 and $1.40 respectively.