In a significant advancement for the semiconductor industry, GlobalFoundries (GF) and Microchip Technology, operating through Microchip’s Silicon Storage Technology (SST) subsidiary, have jointly announced the commencement of production for the SST ESF3 third-generation embedded SuperFlash technology NVM solution. This revolutionary technology is now being manufactured utilizing the GF 28SLPe foundry process, marking a crucial milestone in embedded flash memory solutions.
The implementation of SST’s ESF3 SuperFlash technology in GF’s 28SLPe platform has set a new standard in the industry. Key features of this implementation include an exceptionally low-cost 28-nm High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) ESF3 solution, achieved with the addition of only 10 masks, encompassing true 5V Input/Output (IO) CMOS devices. The technology boasts a highly competitive SST ESF3 bit cell size of less than 0.05 micron squared and operates effectively within a wide temperature range of -40°C to 125°C.
Beyond its remarkable specifications, this embedded flash memory solution delivers rapid read access times of less than 25 nanoseconds, with programming times of 10 microseconds and erasing times of four milliseconds. Equally impressive is its endurance, capable of exceeding 100,000 program/erase cycles. These attributes make it particularly suitable for applications requiring secure code storage, over-the-air updates, and enhanced functionality, which are increasingly in demand in various sectors, including home and industrial Internet of Things (IoT) devices, as well as smart mobile devices.
One of the notable aspects of this development is its seamless integration into existing design flows using GF’s 28SLPe platform-qualified Intellectual Property (IP) without any disruption. Additionally, the technology offers off-the-shelf macros ranging from four megabits (Mb) to 32 Mb, ensuring immediate availability for developers. For those seeking custom solutions, SST and GF provide tailored macro design support, enabling innovative applications to meet specific requirements.
Mike Hogan, Chief Business Unit Officer at GF, expressed his pride in this collaboration, emphasizing the technology’s high performance, reliability, IP availability, and cost-effectiveness. He noted its suitability for advanced Microcontrollers (MCUs), complex smart cards, and IoT chips utilized in both consumer and industrial products.
Mark Reiten, Vice President of SST, Microchip’s licensing business unit, highlighted the decade-long partnership between SST and GF, underscoring the significant progress made in integrating and productizing SST’s embedded Flash technologies into various GF foundry platforms. Reiten expressed excitement about GF’s leadership position in providing a broad range of embedded Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) solutions and anticipated further breakthroughs in the partnership over the coming decade.
