Hua Hong NEC, Cypress ink embedded NVM licensing pact

Hua Hong NEC Electronics Co. Ltd and Cypress Semiconductor Corp. have signed an agreement whereby Cypress will license its 0.13?m SONOS embedded nonvolatile memory (NVM) technology to Hua Hong NEC.

Embedded NVM is one of the niche technology platforms offered by Hua Hong NEC. Cypress's 0.13?m SONOS technology will extend Hua Hong NEC's technology offering while enabling Cypress to drive adoption of the technology. SONOS flash memory provides scalability, high endurance, low power, radiation hardness, and is highly compatible with standard CMOS technologies. In addition, SONOS can provide cost-effective solutions with a low mask adder, compared to other embedded NVM technologies.

"By leveraging Cypress's experience with SONOS technology, Hua Hong NEC can offer its customers a more comprehensive and higher quality foundry service," said Steve Liu, president of Hua Hong NEC. "0.13?m SONOS NVM technology will also put Hua Hong NEC in a leading position in the area of embedded flash/EEPROM. This will be a powerful technology for applications such as smart cards and microcontrollers."

"Hua Hong NEC is a well-established leader in the embedded flash/EEPROM foundry market," said Shahin Sharifzadeh, executive vice president of wafer fabs and technology at Cypress. "This agreement will help to drive Cypress's SONOS technology as the predominant solution for a variety of embedded NVM applications."