Spansion 8Gb NOR Flash Memory at 45nm

Spansion Inc. announced a single-die 8Gb NOR flash memory product at 45 nanometer.

The 8Gb Spansion GL-T delivers high-quality, fast random access read performance to enable a better user experience with interactive graphics, animation and video in games and industrial applications.

Based on Spansion’s proprietary, reliable MirrorBit technology, the 8Gb GL-T will begin sampling next month. The GL-T family at 45nm is the newest addition to the GL parallel NOR product line and complements the 65nm GL-S product family, which ranges from 128Mb through 4Gb densities.

With a fast read and program speeds for NOR flash memory, Spansion continues to expand its customer engagements and design wins for the GL product family, which is targeted at enriching the user experience in consumer, automotive, gaming, telecom and industrial applications.

High-speed, random access read performance is critical for gaming and industrial applications as more devices become Internet-enabled and require rich multi-dimensional graphics, fast data access, and connectivity with other devices as the ‘Internet of Things’ continues to grow. For example, next-generation games are enhancing the multi-touch experience, increasing the need for more software and processing power, which requires fast read from flash memory. In addition, industrial applications such as healthcare monitoring, factory automation and smart energy continue to demand increasingly more density and reliability, which is inherent in Spansion’s NOR flash memory.

The GL-T and its performance is suited for handheld consumer games, game cartridges, handheld learning devices, and industrial applications such as healthcare monitoring, factory automation and home energy management systems.

The 8Gb product will sample in December with production in the first quarter of 2013.

• Read performance of the GL-T at 8Gb at 95MB/s and program performance is 1.8 MB/s.
• Manufactured on 300mm production facility.
• Value-added software drivers and flash file system software available to speed memory integration and increase device performance.

Michael Yang, senior principal analyst, IHS iSuppli Corporation, said: "Spansion continues to innovate with its MirrorBit technology and develop new products that lead the industry in density for NOR flash memory, which is increasingly expanding its application uses into connected and intelligent devices. NOR flash memory continues to play an essential role in providing instant-on boot up capabilities, fast access and interactivity for the increasing amount of graphics, video and data in Internet-enabled devices."

Glenda Dorchak, EVP and GM of Global Business, Spansion, said: "The trend of multiple content-rich connected devices per person is accelerating, expected to reach approximately seven connected devices per user by 2020. This creates design challenges for our customers as they seek to deliver a differentiated and personal user experience for end products, with more graphics-rich features and the ability to connect with other devices quickly and seamlessly. "The Spansion GL-T dramatically increases interactivity and speed for quickly processing data and graphics, enabling high-performance and innovative designs in next-generation electronics."

Saied Tehrani, Ph.D., CTO, Spansion, said: "We have continued to scale our MirrorBit charge trapping technology efficiently to 45nm to deliver the industry’s first single-die 8Gb NOR flash memory. "Our proprietary 45nm MirrorBit technology and our unique design architecture allow us to also deliver the fastest read and program speeds for NOR flash memory in the industry."