New Family of 4-Bit Multiplexed I/O Serial Interface Flash Devices by SST

SST (Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.) announced the new 26 Series
Serial Quad I/O (SQI) family of 4-bit multiplexed I/O serial interface
flash memory devices.

The 26 Series’ low pin count and enhanced serial
interface architecture make the family an ideal code storage solution
for applications such as ultra low-cost handsets, Bluetooth headsets,
optical disk drives and GPS devices, where small form factor, low power
consumption and high data rate are a must. With a fast 80 MHz operating
frequency and a specialized instruction set, SST’s 26 Series SQI flash
devices target execute-in-place (XIP) applications, allowing programs
to be stored and executed directly from the flash memory without the
need for code shadowing on an SRAM, thus further increasing overall
system performance.

The 26 Series SQI devices feature a 4-bit multiplexed
serial interface architecture and up to a 350 Mbit/sec. sustained burst
data rate that provides performance exceeding typical parallel flash
memory. To provide additional system speed and performance, the 26
Series supports 8-, 16-, 32- and 64-Byte burst mode operation with wrap
around, which reduces the memory’s read access time, as well as memory
index jumping, which reduces the number of input clock cycles. All
products in the 26 Series family use a small-outline, 8-pin package to
provide a comparable design footprint.

"Designers are always looking to maximize performance
and reduce the overall footprint and power consumption of their
embedded designs, particularly in portable applications," said Sirak
Brook, vice president, Memory Business, SST. "The innovative features
and new operating modes we developed allow our 26 Series SQI memory
devices to eclipse the performance capabilities of other 4-bit
multiplexed I/O serial interface flash memory products in the market
today without sacrificing low power consumption or small form factor."

The 26 Series SQI devices offer memory write
performance enhancements to improve overall device performance,
including flexible erase capability to erase small block sectors on the
chip in as little as 25 ms or the entire flash memory chip in 50 ms.
The devices also support write suspend and resume operation so a
program can suspend a write operation to access another block of memory
within the same clock cycle.

Code security was also improved in the development of
SST’s 26 Series SQI flash memory. All devices in the family support
software write protection for individual blocks, the upper and lower
64-KBytes of memory are partitioned into smaller 8-KByte sectors that
can both read- and write-lock. In addition, the devices include a
one-time programmable secure ID area, consisting of a 64-bit factory
programmed unique ID and a 192-bit user programmable block.

Products in the 26 Series are based on SST’s
proprietary, high-performance SuperFlash technology. The 26 Series SQI
devices offer superior reliability of 100,000 cycles endurance
(typical) and greater than 100 years data retention. The active read
current of the devices is only 15 mA (typical at 80 MHz) and standby
current is a mere 10 mA (typical). All 26 Series SQI devices are
available in both commercial and industrial temperature ranges, and are
offered in an 8-contact WSON (6 mm x 5 mm) or 8-lead SOIC (200 mil)
package.

Pricing and Availability
The first product in the 26 Series SQI family is the
16 Mbit, 3.0V SST26VF016. Samples of the product will be available next
month, with volume production scheduled for Q4 2008. Pricing for the
SST26VF016 device is $1.16 each in 10K unit quantities. Future 26
Series SQI products with larger memory capacities and lower supply
voltages are in development.

Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.