TI pushes FRAM technology to new heights

Texas Instruments has produced a 64Mbit ferroelectric RAM chip to further validate Ramtron's patented FRAM technology as a foundation for next-generation nonvolatile memory.

Texas Instruments has produced a 64Mbit ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) chip to further validate Ramtron's patented FRAM technology as a foundation for next-generation nonvolatile memory.

With integral on-site development support from Ramtron's process and design teams, TI has produced the highest-density FRAM to date on a standard CMOS logic process with only two additional mask steps.

The development promises to move cost-effective high-density FRAM products into the mainstream.

"Working with Ramtron is key to our successful development of high density embedded FRAM arrays", said Hans Stork, Senior Vice President and Director of TI's Silicon Technology Development.

"We have looked at a number of options for an ideal embedded memory and FRAM clearly wins from a cost, performance and manufacturability perspective.

In addition, we expect FRAM to be used in a variety of innovative applications in the future".

Ramtron's development teams have been working with TI since August 2001, when the companies entered into a multi-million-dollar FRAM licensing and development agreement.

In addition to licensing and development fee revenue associated with the partnership, Ramtron has the right to use the jointly developed ferroelectric technology to design, produce and sell its own high-density, stand-alone, FRAM products.

Ramtron's high-density, stand-alone memory products could be available as soon as 2004.

"As Ramtron builds today's market for FRAM memory products, it has been gratifying to work with TI to lay the groundwork for future generations of FRAM memory products", said Greg Jones, Ramtron's Technology Group President.

"We are very pleased with TI's achievement and consider this development a major milestone in the evolution of our FRAM technology".

Ramtron expects new markets and applications to emerge for FRAM products as the technology migrates to higher densities.

The company currently sells a family of FRAM products with densities ranging from 4 to 256Kbit.

Since the beginning of 2002, Ramtron has shipped more than 14 million FRAM products to customers for use in automotive navigation and entertainment systems, digital electricity meters, multifunction printers, and RAID disk controllers, among others.

This represents more than a 350% increase in unit volume, compared with the same period in 2001.

The commercialisation of FRAM received a significant boost in August 2000 when Ramtron signed a $65-million volume purchase agreement with Ampy Automation to supply 27 million FRAMs for the largest digital electricity meter programme in the world.

Cubic Corporation, an early Ramtron development partner, recently announced the availability of its new generation Go Card, a FRAM-enabled transportation smart card that holds 32Kbyte of FRAM.

The FRAM-based chip used in Cubic GO Cards are manufactured and supplied by Fujitsu, a Ramtron licensee and foundry partner, under a royalty-bearing agreement with Ramtron.

In mid-October, another royalty-bearing licensee, Samsung Electronics, announced its intent to commercialise a 4Mbit FRAM.

In late October, Fujitsu and ST Microelectronics announced their intent to collaborate on the development of contactless smart cards based on FRAM technology.

Products produced by Fujitsu for ST Microelectronics to market are also subject to royalties payable to Ramtron.

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