Chip-Scale-Packaged EEPROM Helps Shrink End Products

Claimed as the industry's first EEPROMs to use chip-scale packaging, the XBGA devices are less than half the size of competitive products. The memories, which come in the Xicor Ball Grid Array (XBGA), give designers extra board space for added functionality, or enable cutting of end-product size and cost. The die-sized package is composed of a hard glass and epoxy coating that protects the die and enables placement and soldering with standard SMT process equipment.The memories are available with serial interfaces, including I₂C, SPI and the company's Micro Port Saver serial interface, which connects directly to the system bus of most MCUs, CPUs and ASICs. They're suited for use in battery-powered products, thanks to low voltage operation (down to 1.8V) and low standby current (less than 1 µA).Initially, the XBGA family includes three serial EEPROMs at 128-kbit density and three at 64-kbit density.