High-Density Nonvolatile F-RAM Memory Eliminates Battery and Reduces Footprint for Cost Effective SRAM Replacement

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Ramtron 4Mb F-RAM Nonvolatile Memory Being Designed into Advanced Applications

Ramtron’s new high-density F-RAMs are based on a groundbreaking new 130nm F-RAM manufacturing process. Ramtron’s FM2xL16 series of high-density, 3V, parallel F-RAM devices include:

• The FM22L16 - 4Mb parallel nonvolatile F-RAM device
• The FM21L16 - 2Mb parallel F-RAM device

 

Superior Replacement for Serial Flash and SRAM, Lower Power than MRAM

F-RAM combines the fast access and low-power of RAM, but is nonvolatile. Compared to EEPROM and Flash, F-RAM writes faster and many more times with less power.

F-RAM also consumes much lower power than MRAM and is already commercially proven in demanding applications.

Available in a 44-pin TSOP package, the FM2xL16 is a drop-in replacement for asynchronous SRAMs but does not need a battery to backup data, making it an inherently more reliable device with a smaller footprint.

 

FEATURES Fast access: 55/60ns access time and 110ns cycle time NoDelay™ writes: Reads and writes at maximum bus speed Virtually unlimited read/write cycles: At least 100 trillion writes with more than 10 year data retention Low power consumption: Draws 18mA at full speed, 150µA in standby, and below 5µA in ultra-low current sleep mode Hardware write protection: Prevents inadvertent writes and data corruption

APPLICATIONS Industrial control Office equipment Utility metering Automotive Avionics Robotics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Distinct Factors Account for F-RAM’s Continued Rise in Popularity:

First, it performs write operations at the same speed as read operations. Referred to as writing at bus speed, no delays are needed for the written data to become nonvolatile. This separates F-RAM from other nonvolatile memories that are based on floating gate technology, which causes long write delays. A typical EEPROM write operation takes 10 milliseconds to be effective after the data is written to the input buffer whereas F-RAM writes in nanoseconds. In addition, with F-RAM, there is no erase operation since there is no preferred or default state. As with other RAM technologies such as SRAM, data is written to F-RAM without regard to the previous state.

Second, F-RAM offers virtually unlimited write endurance – it doesn’t wear out like other nonvolatile memory choices. Floating gate devices stop retaining data when they have been erased too many times. This is a hard failure mechanism. A fatigued memory cell can no longer store the programmed state. F-RAM does not exhibit this type of wear out.

Third, F-RAM operates without a charge pump enabling low power consumption. Floating gate technologies use high voltage to program a new state, so write operations require much higher power consumption than read operations. F-RAM writes at the process core voltage, be it 5V, 3V or lower, on more advanced processes.

 

How F-RAM Works

When an electric field is applied to a ferroelectric crystal the central atom moves in the direction of the field. As the atom moves within the crystal, it passes through an energy barrier, causing a charge spike. Internal circuits sense the charge spike and set the memory. If the electric field is removed from the crystal, the central atom stays in position, preserving the state of the memory. Therefore, when power fails F-RAM memory retains its data. It’s fast and it doesn’t wear out!

 

130nm Process

The FM2xL16 is based on a groundbreaking 130nm F-RAM manufacturing process developed by Texas Instruments in partnership with Ramtron. Produced on a standard CMOS logic process with only two additional mask steps, the process uses 130nm geometries and an advanced capacitor-over-plug process.

 

 

 Featured Products

Part Number		Description	Data Sheet	App. Notes
FM21L16-60-TG		2Mb Parallel F-RAM with 60ns Access in a 44-pin "Green"/RoHS TSOP-II Package
FM22L16-55-TG		4Mb Parallel F-RAM with 55ns Access in a 44-pin "Green"/RoHS TSOP-II Package

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