Toshiba SLC NAND Packs in Error Correction

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC), that collaborates with technology companies to create breakthrough designs, wants designers to have the facts when it comes to selecting the appropriate memory for industrial and consumer applications.

SLC NAND has long been the choice for delivering faster R/W speeds with high reliability (when compared to MLC NAND). Newer NAND generations require increased ECC, which, up until now, limited existing applications (such as 1-bit ECC designs) from implementing the latest NAND generation without having to redesign using new NAND controllers with higher ECC. Toshiba’s BENAND is SLC NAND with embedded ECC – and takes its moniker from a play on the phrase ‘built-in ECC.’

In a new video from Toshiba, Brian Kumagai, director of NAND flash memory products, TAEC, explores the attributes of BENAND and highlights applications where the use of embedded ECC can be beneficial.

According to Kumagai, “One of the key features of BENAND is that, even though it’s performing error correction internally, it offers the user the full range of spare area that can be used for metadata.”

ECC requirements for NAND keep increasing, with no end in sight. As seen in the video, BENAND, a versatile, multi-application SLC NAND flash memory with embedded ECC, removes the burden of ECC from the host processor. This saves time and simplifies the NAND flash driver software, but also opens up design possibilities.

The simple interface and reliability of small capacity SLC NAND allows for it to be widely used in consumer and industrial applications. Package and pin configuration compatibility are assured with general SLC NAND flash, allowing for easy replacement in existing products.

Many industrial applications have a long life expectancy. Toshiba designed BENAND with this in mind. With the ability to replace older generations of discrete SLC NAND, BENAND extends the product life of everything from LCD TVs and set-top boxes to robots and printers – while also potentially reducing BOM costs.

BENAND video