+125°C automotive FRAM memory from Ramtron

11th June 2007

ES Admin

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Ramtron has expanded its line of FRAM Grade 1 automotive memory products with the qualification of an additional serial FRAM device to operate at +125 degrees Celsius (C). The FM25CL64-GA – a 3-volt, 64-kilobit (Kb) FRAM with a high-speed serial peripheral interface (SPI) – is now Grade 1 AEC-Q100 qualified, making it suitable for automotive applications under the hood, as well as many others in the passenger cab. In tandem with the product announcement, Ramtron upgraded its Grade 1 operating data retention specification to 9,000 hours, and its non-operating specification to 17 years, representing 80% and 17% improvements respectively.

The FM25CL64-GA is already designed into active steering systems where FRAM is required to store steering angle data quickly and frequently. FRAM’s No Delay™ writes and virtually unlimited endurance, coupled with a high-speed SPI interface, uniquely enables reliable data writes at maximum bus speed in a variety of automotive applications.

“Qualification of our 3-volt FRAM device was driven by customers who demand reliable and frequent data collection at maximum speed in stringent automotive environments,” says Ramtron vice president Mike Alwais. “The recent qualification of this part to operate at +125°C with upgraded data retention capabilities underscores the inherent dependability of Ramtron’s FRAM memory products.”

The FM25CL64-GA is a 64Kb non-volatile RAM with an SPI that operates at up to 16MHz, enhancing the high-speed write capacity of FRAM technology. Pin-compatible with equivalent EEPROMs, but far superior, this Grade 1 FRAM reads and writes at bus speed up to 20MHz. It boasts essentially unlimited endurance and low power, and is guaranteed to retain data for 9,000 hours at +125°C, and 17 years at +55°C. The device operates from 3.0-3.6 volts over the automotive temperature range (-40°C to +125°C) and is available in a “green” 8-pin SOIC package.