Microchip’s 28-nm SuperFlash embedded flash memory

28th September 2023

Sheryl Miles

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GlobalFoundries (GF) and Microchip Technology, via Microchip’s Silicon Storage Technology (SST) subsidiary, announce 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. 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 32Mb
Access to custom macro design support from SST or GF

Use cases for embedded flash are exploding 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.

“GF is proud to partner with SST to develop, qualify, and release to production this impressive embedded NVM solution on our robust 28SLPe platform,” said Mike Hogan, Chief Business Unit Officer at GF. “GF’s customers are finding this combination of high performance, excellent reliability, IP availability, and cost effectiveness to be ideal for advanced MCUs, complex smart cards, and IoT chips for consumer and industrial products.”

“SST and GF have partnered closely over the last decade to integrate and productize 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,” added 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.”