Microchip/Silicon Storage Technology in Partnership With SK Hynix for SuperFlash Technology

IC designers are seeking ways to keep production costs down while implementing low-power, high-endurance embedded flash.

Microchip Technology Inc. via its subsidiary Silicon Storage Technology (SST) announced a strategic partnership with SK Hynix, Inc. system IC to expand the availability of SuperFlash technology.

The partnership will introduce SST’s embedded SuperFlash technology to SK Hynix system IC’s 110nm CMOS platform, providing designers a cost-effective and low-power embedded flash memory solution.

Embedded SuperFlash technology offers low power, reliability, data retention and endurance for a range of applications, such as IoT devices, smart cards and microcontroller-based applications. The technology’s power efficiency and fast erase time are for low-power applications such as remote IoT edge nodes and contactless payment devices.

“The combination of area-efficient, low-power SuperFlash technology and the highly cost-effective 110nm process node opens up exciting new product opportunities, especially for IoT and microcontroller-based applications,” said Mark Reiten, VP, SST. “This partnership will enable customers who require low-power, high-endurance embedded flash to keep their production costs down by using the highly optimized 8-inch CMOS platform.“

The company’s SuperFlash technology complements SK Hynix system IC’s embedded flash memory solutions with low power and high reliability IP. SK hynix system IC is a fully owned subsidiary spun off from SK Hynix in July 2017. It is a pure 200mm foundry specialized in Display Driver IC (DDI), CMOS Image Sensor (CIS), and Power IC with a process range of 500nm to 57nm.

“We believe that the adoption of SST’s embeded SuperFlash will enable SK hynix system IC to expand our technology portfolio, and it will help to respond to customer requests for highly reliable and robust embedded non-volatile memory solutions,” said Dr. SB You, VP, marketing, system IC, SK Hynix. “Moreover, we will provide customers with a cost-effective embedded Flash solution to support their competitiveness in the market. As the demand for embedded flash memory solutions increases, there will be many customers coming to us to use our 110nm CMOS technology-based embedded Flash memory solution.“

The process development commenced earlier this year and is expected to be completed in early 2019.

Resource:
SST’s patented and proprietary SuperFlash NOR Flash technology