ATA Flash Controllers Raise Performance Bars

Self crowned as the industry's highest performance, standalone ATA flash-disk controllers, the SST55LD019x devices feature command support for ATA/ATAPI-5, extensive security, and multi-word DMA. They come in 100-pin TQFPs, as well as 84-ball, 9 mm x 9 mm TFBGAs, said to be the smallest on the market. The controllers support the ATA/IDE protocol up to PIO Mode-4 and interface to NAND flash media with 512-Byte or 2-KB pages in x8 and x16 configurations. The SST55LD019A targets applications requiring maximum random-access performance, while the SST55LD019B is for situations where sequential-access performance needs a boost. Also ensuring maximum sequential access, the SST55LD019C handles high-capacity flash drive duties. The SST55LD019A supports sustained read/write speeds up to 6 MB/s and the SST55LD019B/C devices deliver up to 10 MB/s. Pricing starts at $3.99 each/10,000. SILICON STORAGE TECHNOLOGY INC., Sunnyvale, CA. (888) 778-2447.