GF and Microchip announce 28-nm SuperFlash memory solution now in production

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GlobalFoundries (GF) and Microchip Technology, via Microchip’s Silicon Storage Technology (SST) subsidiary, have announced the immediate release to production of the SST ESF3 third-generation embedded SuperFlash technology NVM solution in the GF 28SLPe foundry process.

GF has established a new industry benchmark for implementing SST’s widely deployed ESF3 SuperFlash technology and this implementation delivers the following capabilities and benefits:

  • Lowest cost 28-nm HKMG ESF3 solution with only 10 masks added, including true 5V IO CMOS devices
  • Highly competitive SST ESF3 bit cell size of less than 0.05 micron squared
  • Operating temperature rating of −40°C to 125°C
  • Sub-25 nanosecond (ns) read access times, 10-microsecond program times and four millisecond erase times
  • Endurance exceeding 100,000 program/erase cycles
  • No impact to design flows using GF 28SLPe platform-qualified IP (EG flow)
  • Immediate availability of off-the-shelf macros from four megabits (Mb) to 32 Mb
  • Access to custom macro design support from SST or GF

Use cases for embedded flash are growing rapidly with the drive for increased intelligence at the edge. Embedded memory for secure code storage, over-the-air-updates and enhanced functionality is on the rise in a wide range of applications in home and industrial IoT as well as smart mobile devices. Innovative platforms are required to meet these needs. 

“SST and GF have partnered closely over the last decade to integrate and productise SST’s industry-standard ESF1 and ESF3 embedded Flash technologies into GF’s 130-nm BCD, 55-nm, 40-nm, and now 28-nm foundry platforms,” said Mark Reiten, vice president of SST, Microchip’s licensing business unit. “We are excited by the leadership position GF is establishing for the broadest offering of embedded NVM solutions and expect our close partnership to deliver additional breakthroughs over the coming decade.”