Motorola Produces World's First 4 Mbit MRAM Chip
Select Customers Now Sampling 4 Mbit Nonvolatile Memory Device
CHANDLER, Ariz., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola, Inc. has produced the world's first 4 megabit (Mbit) magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) chip. Select customers are currently evaluating samples of this advanced memory technology. This technology milestone is further evidence of the viability of MRAM, which potentially can replace multiple existing memory technologies.
"The fact that Motorola has demonstrated a 4Mb MRAM chip based on a 0.18-micron technology is great news for the industry," said Bob Merritt, vice president of Emerging Technologies with Semico Research Corporation. "This is a significant advancement since Motorola's June 2002 demonstration of a 1Mb MRAM using 0.60-micron technology. That's like stepping over four or five process generations in little more than a year."
MRAM combines non-volatility with incredible endurance and speed. In many appliances, electronics systems, and consumer devices, MRAM could replace multiple memory devices. Designers may benefit from reduced system complexity, lower overall system cost, and improved performance. MRAM's reliability and long-life may make it well-suited for applications in harsh environments or requiring long system life such as automotive and industrial. Recognizing MRAM's potential, Honeywell recently licensed Motorola's MRAM technology for military and aerospace applications.
"For the past several years, Motorola has led the industry in MRAM development with 256kb, 1Mbit and now 4Mbit devices," said Dr. Claudine Simson, chief technology officer, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector. "Our 4Mb MRAM chip not only showcases our technology, it will accelerate the industry's acceptance of MRAM technology. We've made significant progress toward establishing a solid MRAM manufacturing technology capability. We're now working with lead customers on performance refinements for future market introduction and broader sampling next year."
MRAM could initially enter the market in applications that require speed, reliability and low power. MRAM is suited for applications that value the ability to do high-performance writes with unlimited read-write endurance, low write energy and/or data retention with no energy. In several instances, MRAM could lower the number of component parts and provide more reliability and competitive system cost to the customer.
About MRAM
Motorola has obtained several patents for its approach to information storage. These patents cover multiple aspects of the bit cell structure, programming method and circuit design. The discoveries exploit unique magnetic characteristics of the technology, and make MRAM easier to manufacture. Three of the most fundamental challenges facing MRAM implementation - bit selectivity, data retention and scaling - are addressed with this technology. The improved bit selectivity allows the writing of information anywhere in the memory without disturbing previously stored data. The exceptional data retention allows stable, long-term storage of information. Scaling to smaller geometries allows designers to pack more cells into a smaller area, resulting in lower cost.
Motorola has demonstrated a 4Mb (256K x 16) "toggle" MRAM chip based on a 0.18-micron five-level metal CMOS process technology with fast access times. This is a significant advancement since Motorola's June 2002 demonstration of a 1Mb MRAM using 0.60-micron technology. This type of memory is non-volatile, meaning that the information in memory is retained when operating power is turned off. The memory uses unidirectional programming currents with isolated write and read paths and balanced current mirror sense amplifier. Motorola is scheduled to present details of this unique "toggle" approach to MRAM at the 2003 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting, December 8-10.
Additional MRAM Background Information is available on Motorola's web site.
About Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector
As the world's #1 producer of embedded processors, Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector creates DigitalDNA(TM) system-on-chip solutions for a connected world. Our strong focus on wireless communications and networking enables customers to develop smarter, simpler, safer and synchronized products for the person, work team, home and automobile. Motorola's worldwide semiconductor sales were $5.0 billion (USD) in 2002. For more information please visit http://www.motorola.com/semiconductors
About Motorola
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) is a global leader in wireless, automotive and broadband communications. Sales in 2002 were $27.3 billion. Motorola is a global corporate citizen dedicated to ethical business practices and pioneering important innovations that make things smarter and life better, honored traditions that began when the company was founded 75 years ago this year. For more information, please visit http://www.motorola.com/.
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CONTACT: North America - Angela Hatfield, +1-480-413-4260,
angie.hatfield@motorola.com, or Asia-Pacific - Gloria Shiu, +852-2666-8237
gloria.shiu@motorola.com, or Europe, Middle East, Africa - Regina Cirmonova,
+41-22-7991-258, regina.cirmonova@motorola.com, all for Motorola, Inc.
Web site: http://www.motorola.com/
http://www.motorola.com/semiconductors
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