SuperFlash, SST's flash memory
platform used across multiple industries, has achieved AEC-Q100 Grade 1
Qualification on UMC's 55nm platform, allowing it to make headway into
the automotive sector.
Automotive applications
represent some of the harshest operating conditions for electronics.
Because automotive electronics are unique, both in how robust its
components must be and the consequences of their failure, manufacturers
must meet high standards to qualify for automotive use.
SST, a subsidiary of Microchip Technology, recently announced that their widely-used SuperFlash memory platform on UMC’s 55nm technology has met these specifications, earning AEC-Q100 Grade 1 Qualification.
A graphic depicting the SuperFlash concept. Image from SST
As
auto manufacturers turn to microcontrollers with embedded flash memory
for safety and reliability, SuperFlash’s Q100 Grade 1 qualification
expands the reach of a platform already in use across a vast number of
consumer goods.
A Brief Look Under the Hood at AEC-Q100 Grade 1 Certification
The
Automotive Electronics Council, a collaboration of vehicle
manufacturers worldwide, was founded in the early 1990s as circuits
became more integral to manufacturing and operation of vehicles. The AEC
sets standards for electronics parts suppliers to ensure quality
control, covering categories such as integrated circuits, multichip
modules, and passive components.
The standards for AEC-Q100, Stress Test Qualification for Integrated Circuits, are exacting. To achieve Grade 1 qualification, platforms must have an ambient operating range of -40°C
to +125°C, and must pass electrical test at room temperature and hot
and cold extremes. The circuit must pass stress tests for Power
Temperature Cycle, Bond Pull After Temperature Cycle, and Early Life
Failure Rate. It must also meet physical dimensions standards of
Cpk>1.33 and Ppk>1.67, and ESD-CDM must have corner pins equal to
750V minimum and all other pins equal to 500V minimum.
The AEC-Q100 Qualification Test Flow. Image from the Automotive Electronics Council. Click to enlarge.
Typically, Grade 1 components are used in interior applications or away from heat-generating sources in the engine, in applications such as safety and infotainment systems.
In
the press release, Mark Reiten, Vice President of SST, noted, “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.”
SuperFlash Technology in the Driver’s Seat
SST’s
SuperFlash is well-suited for automotive applications because of its
split-gate cell architecture. Using a much thicker oxide layer around
the floating gate, SuperFlash is able to “provide superior performance, data retention, and reliability over conventional stacked gate Flash,” SST claims.
With
the architecture providing protection from damage and leakage,
SuperFlash's move to automotive-grade applications is, by some measures,
unsurprising. The platform, which first began use in 1994, is now
embedded in billions of consumer goods.
The
automotive space is evolving. Current-gen vehicles have complex sensor
systems, live firmware updates, and other advancements that bring
now-familiar challenges identified by other applications, such as smart
industrial facilities. Memory speed and storage are crucial for
supporting this evolution and it is in this field that SST is clearly
hoping to gain ground.
With
SuperFlash's rapid development across so many sectors already, it will
be interesting to see just how far this new automotive application of
the platform can go.
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