Infineon has great expectations for the MRAM non-volatile memory technology, but admitted that volume production is still a long way off. The German semiconductor company indicated it would go through a manufacturing change to a 130-nanometer process, implying a possible move to a larger capacity memory, before any commercial roll out of MRAM products and no timetable was given for MRAM roll-out.

MRAM rival Freescale, formerly known as Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector, said it had started sampling a 4-Mbit MRAM back in October 2003. Freescale has also said that it does not intend to pursue the stand-alone memory device market but would seek to offer MRAM as an embedded memory technology for System-on-Chip devices.

As predicted in February 2004 Infineon, working with Altis Semiconductor SA as its development partner, has trumped Freescale by producing a larger prototype with which it will attempt to woo customers for the non-volatile technology. Altis, a joint venture between IBM and Infineon based in Corbeil Essonnes, France, was given responsibility for turning MRAM research conducted jointly at Infineon and IBM into products in May 2003.

With read and write cycles of around 30 to 40 nanoseconds, the device could compete with established DRAM memory chips, giving it an advantage over flash memories, and because of its non-volatility, allowing the memory to retain data when power is removed, the MRAM saves power compared with a DRAM.

The prototype was manufactured in process based on a 0.18 micron CMOS process used for standard logic chips, explained Wilhelm Beinvogl, chief technology officer of Infineon's memory product division. While the memory cell is based on the magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) principle, the device communicates with the outer world through an interface similar to the one used for SRAMs.

Although the memory cell size, at 1.42 square microns is relatively small, the total die area of 79 square millimeters is quite large, compared with existing memory products of the same capacity, Beinvogl said.

"Before we go to commercial production there remains a lot of work to do," Beinvogl said stressing that in particular the physical size of a device has to be reduced.

Infineon proved the functionality of the device in an evaluation board for mobile phones. On the board standard flash memory and SRAM memory chips were replaced by the MRAM.

Besides mobile phones, MRAM technology could be used in an 'instant on' computer, Beinvogl said. Also, due to their tolerance of high temperatures, MRAM devices could have a good match to Infineon's own strength in the automotive and in industrial markets.

The next step is to transfer the design to a 130-nanometer manufacturng process "very soon", Beinvogl said. After this -- and before any commercial moves -- Infineon wants to shrink the chip structures even further. However, Beinvogl did not provide any timetable for a commercial roll-out of commerical MRAM components.

In the area of non-volatile memory technologies, Infineon is also working on ferroelectric RAM. But Beinvogl said the company's main interest is with MRAM and the further development of the flash memory technology.