Design

Medium density NVM IP reduces die cost by up to 25%

2nd February 2015
Siobhan O'Gorman
0

A medium density NVM IP family, which fills the gap between lower bit count NVM and flash memory, without requiring additional masks or processing steps, has been released by Synopsys. The DesignWare medium density NVM IP family provides up to 64 Kb of on-chip memory and eliminates the need for external EEPROM or flash memory when integrating MCUs in analogue IC designs for smart sensors, power management and touchscreen controller applications. This reduces die cost by up to 25%. 

The DesignWare medium density NVM IP products bring flash functionality to 5V CMOS and BCD process technologies, where embedded reprogrammable NVM is needed. Error checking and correction functionality provides additional system reliability and reduces implementation efforts. The NVM IP delivers more than 5X the density compared to lower bit-count NVM solutions and offers 40ns access time, providing fast read times and real-time computing. Validated through rigorous characterisation, qualification and reliability testing in Synopsys labs, the NVM IP supports temperature ranges from -40 to 125°C with 10 years of data retention. 

"Today, developers who are looking to embed MCUs in their ICs are forced to pay for expensive wafers to support embedded flash memory or otherwise use discrete memory, which are both costly alternatives," said Richard Wawrzyniak, Senior Market Analyst, Semico Research. "Synopsys' DesignWare medium density NVM IP fills the gap between smaller NVM and embedded flash memory, making it suitable for developers looking to add kilobytes of non-volatile memory without the added cost."

"With the increasing amount of memory needed to integrate MCUs into analogue ICs, designers require cost-effective memory solutions that do not sacrifice functionality," said John Koeter, Vice President, Marketing, IP and Prototyping, Synopsys. "Synopsys' DesignWare medium density NVM IP provides designers with a lower cost alternative to flash memory, while delivering all the necessary features that help them incorporate the desired functionality into their SoCs with less risk."

The DesignWare medium density NVM IP is available now to early adopters in TSMC 180nm 5V CMOS and BCD process technologies.

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