1Gbit serial NAND chip rolls

Micron Technology Inc. has introduced a serial NAND with chip densities starting at 1Gbit.

"There are several embedded applications today that require 128Mbytes or more of storage," said Kevin Kilbuck, director of NAND market development for Micron. "And we expect capacity to continue to grow, providing the need for a NAND-based storage alternative to NOR flash."

As embedded systems evolve, he said, they are requiring more robust and higher-density memory solutions.

"Gone are the days when WiMAX devices, STBs, printers and other industrial and automotive applications were designed only to decode information," said Kilbuck. "They now contain more sophisticated operating systems for managing multimedia, photos and other data-intensive content, which are driving the need for these devices to contain greater storage capacity."

Compatibility
Kilbuck said that Micron's serial NAND uses the same package type as parallel NAND, effectively acting as a transitional gateway for manufacturers to move from a serial into a parallel NAND interface, if and when needed.

The 1Gbit serial NAND is compatible with the industry standard SPI command set. User-generated content is stored directly to the device, eliminating the need for a separate NAND chip, according to Kilbuck.

The new 1Gbit runs at 2.64Mbyte/s, said Kilbuck, and offers a faster write performance than NOR flash, which falls below 0.5Mbyte/s. Incorporated on the memory device is a read-only area and protected block lock to prevent tampering of the content stored in the device.

Micron's 1Gbit serial NAND technology is sampling now with volume production expected in the Q1 09. Micron also plans to introduce higher-density serial NAND flash products reaching 4Gbit in early 2009.

- Bernard Cole
Embedded.com