The FM25256 from Ramtron International Corporation is a 256 Kb non-volatile ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM) product, with a serial peripheral interface (SPI), that is designed for wide voltage operation. The company's newest 256 Kb serial FRAM offers an unlimited number of read/write cycles, whereas EEPROM is exhausted after approximately one million cycles. The product operates from 4.0 V to 5.5 V and offers drop-in compatibility with industry-standard serial EEPROMs. The FM25256 is suited to data-collection applications in which power levels vary or can be suddenly lost. Its benefits are similar to Ramtron's previously announced FM25L256, which targeted 3 V systems. The 20 MHz bus speed allows fast data collection. Reads and writes are performed at bus speeds of up to 15 MHz throughout the entire memory. There are no write delays or maximum write buffer sizes. The entire memory contents can be written in just over 13 ms.
The FM25256 is rated for operation at -40 °C to +85 °C. It is available as an eight-pin small outline plastic package (SOIC), with prices starting at $3.84 for quantities of 10,000. The FM25256 reads and writes at bus speeds comparable to those of a high-speed RAM, but provides non-volatile storage like a conventional non-volatile memory. However, unlike EEPROM or Flash memory, there are no write delays. Also, like high-speed RAM, the FM25256 supports practically unlimited numbers of read or write cycles. These benefits allow the FM25256 to perform the functions of RAM and non-volatile memory technologies in a single chip.
Ramtron International Corp. · 800-545-3726 · www.ramtron.com