Product category:
Microprocessors, Microcontrollers and DSPs
News Release from: Sharp Microelectronics Europe | Subject: 1Mbyte Flash Memory Smart Card
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 19 November 2003
Smart card chip crams in 1Mbyte of Flash
A new smart card controller from Sharp Microelectronics Europe embeds 1Mbyte of Flash memory.
A new smart card from Sharp Microelectronics Europe embeds 1Mbyte of Flash memory The new card uses Sharp's 0.18um process with five metal connection layers
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 16 May 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Smartcard combines 32bit core with 1Mbyte of Flash
Sharp's next-generation high-performance 32bit smart card incorporates 1Mbyte of Flash memory.
Faster access for high-density Flash
Sharp Microelectronics Europe reckons its latest high-speed 128Mbit Flash memory features the fastest access time available to date.
Compared with the industry's use of 0.25um process, Sharp's migration to a 0.18um process demonstrates the company's leadership in developing high-density memory technology for smart cards.
Samples of the 1Mbyte module will be available in December 2003, followed by a 512Kbyte version in April 2004.
Sharp previously developed a multi-application smart card with the highest density built-in memory and reduced cell size in the industry.
The use of smart cards for multiple applications, such as e-passports, will increase in the smart card industry alongside the growth of single-application card programmes, such as transportation, medical and corporate ID cards.
Because the cell size is too large, traditional smart card chips combining mask ROM and EEPROM are not suitable for high-density memory on multi-application smart cards.
In contrast, the internal 1Mbyte memory capacity is specifically tailored to support multi-application operating systems and expanded application sizes.
The process reduction achieved with this new smart card results in a die size almost as small as traditional density EEPROMs but with more than twice the density.
"We developed the new chip by leveraging our strength in process technology", said Laurent den Hollander, Product Manager at Sharp Microelectronics Europe.
"Scaling down the process and using multiple wiring layers allows a substantial reduction in chip size, lower power consumption and high-speed performance.
This process also provides higher chip security by forming a protection layer over the die".
Sharp is aiming to be certified to meet the internationally accepted IT security requirements known as Common Criteria and is planning to meet the needs of the market by implementing GlobalPlatform, which is suitable for using multi-applications on one card.
• Sharp Microelectronics Europe: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
