SGS-THOMSON launches highest density serial EEPROM memories

SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics has announced two devices that set new records for storage capacity in the field of serial EEPROMs (electrically erasable and programmable memory). Part of the new Eagle Range of upgraded and new EEPROMs, the M24128 and M24256 are 128Kbit and 256Kbit devices organized as 16Kx8 and 32Kx8, respectively. Designed for operation at 1.8V, these components will be of particular interest to designers of telecom equipment such as portable phones but are ideal for all applications that require a compact yet dense nonvolatile memory.

The M24128 and M24256 use the extended I2C serial protocol (XI2C) which overcomes the 16Kbit size limit of the popular I2C bus by extending the address range with a second address byte. However, the new devices are compatible with standard I2C products, allowing both kinds of devices to be used on the same bus. In addition, the bus speed has been increased to 400kbit/s and both the input noise suppression and output buffer circuits have been optimized for the higher speed.

At present, designers who need more than 64Kbits of EEPROM must use two or more smaller serial EEPROMs connected in parallel, a major disadvantage in applications where space is at a premium. The M24128 and M24256 allow two or four 64K EEPROMs to be replaced by a single device housed in the same DIP8, SO8 Wide 200 mils (M28256), or SO8 Narrow 150 mils (M28128) packages, thereby bringing significant space and cost savings.

The M24128 and M24256 are the first in a planned family of very high density serial EEPROMs and will be followed by products designed for the SPI bus. Like all SGS-THOMSON EEPROMs, the new devices exhibit exceptional reliability, due to the use of a robust CMOS process and a proprietary cell design, coupled with the manufacturing expertise that is to be expected from the world's number one supplier of serial EEPROMs.

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