Tripling the programming speed of competing serial flash memories, the 65nm FL-S NOR flash memory is available from Spansion. The company claims that it is also 20% faster than DDR read speeds. Memories in the family range from 128Mbit to 1Gbit in eight and 16pin SOs, eight-lead WSON packages, for the 128 and 256Mbit versions, and a 24ball BGA. Security is provided with one time programming and a 128bit tracking ID. There is also a block write protection which can be temporary or permanent and a permanent sector lock which the customer cannot erase. Advanced sector protection can be set as persistent mode protection. There are also password protection and read password protection modes which can be used to prevent hacking attacks in set top boxes and smart meters. The company says that it is currently developing 45nm memories, exploiting the scalability of its charge tracking technology.
