Ferroelectric RAM runs up to 2Mbit density

High density FRAM device targets SRAM-based industrial control, metering, medical, automotive, military, gaming and computing applications.

Ramtron International has extended its family of high density FRAM devices with a 2Mbit parallel memory device.

The FM21L16 is a 2Mbit, 3V, parallel nonvolatile FRAM in a 44-pin TSOP-II package that features fast access, NoDelay writes, virtually unlimited read/write cycles, and low power consumption.

Pin-compatible with asynchronous static RAM (SRAM), the FM21L16 targets SRAM-based industrial control, metering, medical, automotive, military, gaming and computing applications, among others.

"This is Ramtron's second FRAM device to emerge from the Texas Instruments/Ramtron partnership and the next product in a family of high-density stand-alone FRAM memories", says Duncan Bennett, Ramtron Strategic Marketing Manager.

"The FM21L16 offers a cost-effective alternative to MRAM, battery-backed SRAM (BBSRAM), and NVSRAM.

Besides providing a low-cost solution and a small footprint, FRAM consumes much less active and standby power than MRAM and does not require a battery or an onboard capacitor to back up data, as do BBSRAM and NVSRAM, respectively".

A 128K x 16bit nonvolatile memory with an industry standard parallel interface, the FM21L16 reads and writes at bus speed with endurance of at least 100 trillion writes and more than 10 years of data retention.

The device has an access time of 60ns, a cycle time of 110ns and includes an advanced write protection scheme to prevent inadvertent writes and data corruption.

The 2Mbit FRAM is a drop-in replacement for standard asynchronous SRAMs that does not need a battery to back up data, which significantly improves component and system reliability.

Unlike battery-backed SRAM, the FM21L16 is a true surface-mount solution that does not require rework steps for battery attachment and is not jeopardised by moisture, shock and vibration.

With an industry-standard parallel interface to current high performance microprocessors, the FM21L16 features a high speed page mode that enables a peak bandwidth of 80Mbyte/s, providing one of the fastest nonvolatile memory solutions on the market.

The device boasts lower operating currents than standard SRAMs, drawing 18mA for reads/writes, and an ultra-low-power sleep mode of 5uA.

It operates from 2.7 to 3.6V over the entire industrial temperature range of -40 to +85C.

Samples of the FM21L16 are available now in a RoHS-compliant 44-pin TSOP-II package.

Pricing begins at US $12 for quantities of 10,000 units.

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