Renesas' launches high-speed 256-megabit super and flash memory devices - Renesas Technology America's Renesas HN29V256A0B and HN29V256A1B

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, Nov 24, 2003

Renesas Technology America, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of the joint-venture semiconductor company established by Hitachi, Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, has announced the HN29V256A series of 256-Megabit (256Mb) superAND flash memory devices. The flash chips are ideal for products such as mobile phones and digital still cameras (DSCs), among many others, because they can simplify system designs and improve product performance.

According to Tad Keeley, marketing manager, system memory business unit, Renesas Technology America, Inc., "The on-chip memory management functions of the HN29V256A series devices eliminate the need for the external circuits traditionally required for performing flash management functions, including bad-sector management, wear leveling(1), and error correction. Additionally, the fast write speed of the 3.3V 256Mb superAND flash devices--about 4 Megabytes/second (4MB/s)--is three times faster than that of Renesas Technology's current 128Mb superAND chips. This speed increase dramatically shortens the time needed to download large image, music or other types of files and helps boost the overall performance of many applications."

There are two flash devices in the new 256Mb series: the HN29V256A0B, which supports a 16-bit bus width, and the HN29V256A1B, which supports an 8-bit bus width. Both are packaged in the same small (10x11.5x1.2mm) CSP package as the 128Mb superAND devices, yet deliver twice the storage capacity. They are built with a 0.13-micron process and use Renesas Technology's proven AG-AND multi-level cell design(2).

The four built-in memory management functions the 256Mb superAND flash devices provide are optimized for on-chip implementation and incorporate the expertise Renesas engineers gained by developing controllers for flash cards such as CompactFlash cards and MultiMediaCards. The bad-sector management function ensures 100 percent perfect operation throughout the chip's lifetime, regardless of whether a defect is present when the device is shipped or occurs after shipment. The wear-leveling function makes the most effective use of flash memory rewrite areas, and helps extend the life of the flash device. The error-correction function improves data reliability and decreases the workload on the system side. Lastly, the power-on auto-read (boot) function allows data to be read from an expanded 8KB area without a command or address input, to simplify system design.

Renesas Technology is pursuing an aggressive technology roadmap for superAND flash memory devices. Future plans include the development of 1.8V 256Mb versions, chips with larger capacities and higher speeds, and 512Mb (64MB) flash devices.