A previously recognized drawback is the wide speed gap between serial SRAMs and their parallel SRAM cousins. Addressing this disparity, Microchip Technology Inc. has expanded its serial SRAM portfolio with larger densities of up to 4 Mbit, offering increased serial peripheral interface/serial quad I/O Interface (SPI/SQI) speed to 143 MHz.
The new 2-Mbit and 4-Mbit devices now provide a lower-cost alternative to parallel SRAMs as well as include an optional battery backup switchover circuitry in the SRAM memory to retain data on power loss.
(Source: Microchip Technology Inc.)
The new serial SRAMs are housed in a lower-cost, 8-pin package and use a high-speed SPI/SQI communication bus that requires only four to six MCU I/O pins, compared to parallel SRAM that requires large packages and about 26 to 35 MCU I/Os, Microchip said. As a result, the new devices provide an alternative to a more costly high-pin-count MCU and help minimize the overall board footprint.
“Serial SRAM is a popular solution for engineers who need more RAM than what is available on board their MCU but are looking to reduce cost and overall board size,” said Jeff Leasure, director of Microchip’s memory products business unit, in a statement. “Microchip’s 2-Mbit and 4-Mbit serial SRAM devices are intended to replace expensive parallel SRAM with an easy and cost-effective alternative.”
Microchip said these serial SRAMs offer unlimited endurance and zero write times for applications with continuous data transfer, buffering, data logging, metering and other math- and data-intensive functions. Available from 64-Kbit to 4-Mbit densities, they support SPI, SDI and SQI bus modes.
The 2-Mbit and 4-Mbit serial SRAM devices are currently available, starting at $1.60 each in quantities of 10,000.
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