Geneva – STMicroelectronics announced that production
of its 128-Mbit NAND Flash device – the NAND128W3A2BN6E – has been transferred to 90nm process
technology. The shrink to 90nm reduces both the cost and the power consumption of the memory chip, which is widely
used in cost-sensitive consumer equipment such as Digital Still Cameras, Audio Recorders, PDAs, Set-Top Boxes
(STBs), Printers, and bundled Flash Cards. The NAND128 is currently the only 128-Mbit Flash memory on the market to
be produced in 90nm technology. The new chip confirms ST’s commitment to continuing product development of its
low density ‘Small-Page’ NAND Flash memory products, in support of customers already using the family in
volume production. The NAND128W3A2BN6E is a 3V product, in a TSOP package, intended for consumer applications. Other
family members – the 256-Mbit, 512-Mbit, both in 3V and in 1.8V versions – will also be moved from 120nm
to 90nm technology in the coming months.
The NAND128 provides ultra-fast
data throughput and erase capability.
The Address lines and Data Input/Output signals of all members of the
family are multiplexed onto an 8-bit bus, reducing pin count and allowing
the use of a modular NAND
interface, which enables manufacturers to
produce variations of systems that use higher (or lower) density
devices
without changing the footprint.
A software tool chain available from ST
allows fast product development, and can help extend the useful life of the memory chip. Tools include Error
Correction Code (ECC) software; Bad Block Management (BBM) to recognize and replace a block that fails an Erase or
Program operation, by copying its data to a valid block; Wear Leveling algorithms to optimize the aging of the
device by distributing Erase and Program operations among all the blocks; File System OS Native reference software;
and hardware simulation models.
The memory
is organized into 1024 nominal 16 kbyte blocks, each of which is divided into pages of 512 bytes, plus 16 spare
bytes per page, that can be read and programmed by page. The spare bytes are typically used for Error Correction
Codes, software flags, or Bad Block identification. A Copy Back Program mode enables data stored in one page to be
programmed directly into another without the need for external buffering, a feature typically used to move data if a
Page Program operation fails due to a defective block. A Block Erase command is provided, with a block erase time of
2ms. Each block is specified for 100,000 Program and Erase cycles, and 10-year data retention.
The
device has the ‘Chip Enable Don’t Care’ feature, which simplifies the microcontroller interface
and streamlines the use of NAND Flash in combination with other types of memory such as NOR Flash and SRAM. A unique
device ID can be factory programmed, and a User Programmable Serial number supports increased security in the target
application.
The NAND128W3A2BN6E is available in volume now with pricing in the range of $4 to $4.5
in a lead-free TSOP48 package, and is characterized for the -40 to +85 degrees C temperature range.
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