It's no secret that Micron Technology is bullish on the automotive market. The subject comes up frequently in corporate updates as a bright light amidst less positive company news. So it's no surprise that Micron (Boise, Idaho) is positioning its latest embedded SLC NAND for the automotive segment, as well as the trendy Internet of Things (IoT) space.

Micron’s second generation SPI and fifth generation parallel SLC NAND is aimed at meeting the needs of embedded systems designers in the areas of the connected home, wearables and the connected car, including security and easy integration. Many of these devices are relatively low density but need to be able to securely and reliably store code.

“Autonomous driving increases code requirements," said Aravind Ramamoorthy, product line director of NAND flash for Micron's Embedded Business Unit, in a telephone interview with EE Times.

Ramamoorthy said SLC NAND is becoming the memory of choice to replace NOR-based technologies, in part because of its security features. The new SLC NAND includes permanent block locking and one-time programmable data (OTP) capability, security features that are considered table stakes for connected industrial, consumer, home and automotive applications. SPI, meanwhile, is moving from niche markets to more mainstream uses, he added.

Micron included SPI NAND to give customers the option of smaller form factors, said Ramamoorthy. Its low pin count interface reduces cost and allows designers to store code and data in small form factors; 1, 2, and 4 Gb densities are available both SPI and parallel NAND, and have drop-in capability for both legacy and applications. Both interfaces include on-die error correction code (ECC.)

Part of the reliability of this new SLC NAND is its 10-year data retention at 85 degrees Celsius, which goes beyond Jedec standards, Ramamoorthy said, as fanless designs in small enclosures are common in both connected home devices such as set-top boxes and automotive applications.

There's been lots of talk about the opportunities in automotive for memory of late, including SRAM and NAND flash. “There are tons of different applications for memory," said Walter Coon, director of NAND flash technology at IHS. However, it's still pretty muddy.

For SLC NAND in particular, it's an opportunity to play a role as a NOR flash replacement going forward and could be used in mission critical systems of the vehicle, including the power train, Coon said. “The safety-related features of automobiles need the thorough reliability and performance of SLC or NOR,” he said. “SLC NAND is going to fill a lot of those sockets previously filled by NOR."

However, Coon said in a telephone interview with EE Times, it may be a relatively short-term opportunity. “With improved performance from 3D NAND, I think 3D MLC is going to meet most of the stringent requirements [of automotive]," he said.

By: DocMemory
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