NAND Flash Devices Hit 1 Gb

Promising cost-effective storage for USB Flash drives, MP3 players, cameras, and third-generation cell phones, the NAND1G and NAND512 NAND flash devices provide densities of 1 Gb and 512 Mb, respectively, and are available with 1.8V and 3V operating voltages. The memories are organized respectively into a total of 32 pages by 4,096 and by 8,192 nominal blocks, readable and programmable as a whole. With block erase times of 2 ms, the size of the page is either 528 Bytes (512 + 16 spare) or 264 Words (256 + 8 spare) depending on whether the device has a x8 or x16 bus width. Other features include a copy-back program mode that allows data in one page to be programmed into another without the need for external buffering. Options include automatic page 0 read after power up for applications that boot from the NAND memory and chip enable don't care, which is said to allow the microcontroller to manage NAND operations more efficiently. Price for the NAND512 is $15 each/100,000. STMICROELECTRONICS, INC., Lexington, MA. (781) 861-2650.