SST SuperFlash memory automotive-qualified on UMC’s 55-nm platform

By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief

Silicon Storage Technology (SST), a subsidiary of Microchip Technology Inc., announced that its high-speed embedded SuperFlash technology is qualified to the Automotive Electronics Council AEC-Q100 Grade 1 certification on United Microelectronics Corporation’s (UMC) 55-nm platform. UMC fabs are all IATF-16949–certified to meet automotive quality production standards.

The new AEC-Q100 Grade 1 qualification supports automotive safety-critical and infotainment applications that are increasingly using microcontrollers with embedded flash memory to ensure higher reliability and performance. This includes requirements for fast access time, power efficiency, and fast erase speeds.

“As part of the AEC-Q100 Grade 1 qualification on UMC’s 55-nm platform, SST’s SuperFlash technology completed a very high bar in endurance testing, including 700,000 program/erase cycles and 20 years of data retention,” said Mark Reiten, vice president of SST, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microchip, in a press release. “The partnership with UMC will enable automotive customers who require low-power, high-endurance embedded flash to keep their production costs down by using the 55-nm platform.”

SST also recently announced a partnership with SK hynix system ic to expand the availability of its SuperFlash technology. The new strategic partnership enables SK hynix system ic to deliver the embedded flash technology on its 110-nm CMOS platform. The process development is expected to be completed in early 2019.