A New Way of Thinking: O2IC, Inc. Develops a Revolutionary Non-Volatile DRAM That Eliminates All Previous Conventional Memory Limitations.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2002 O2IC, Inc. today announced the successful development of a new type of non-volatile memory Refers to memory chips that hold their content without power being applied. It may refer to chips that are not changeable, such as ROMs and PROMs, or to chips that can be rewritten many times such as flash memory. technology called McRAM(R). O2IC has proven, in silicon, the functionality of the innovative McRAM memory cell using a standard foundry 0.18um CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Pronounced "c-moss." The most widely used integrated circuit design. It is found in almost every electronic product from handheld devices to mainframes. Logic process, with the addition of a simple proprietary process module. The McRAM cell is scalable to geometries below 0.1um. O2IC is a new fables start-up company start-up company A new business. located at 20410 Town Center Lane, Suite 270, Cupertino, CA 95014. McRAM is a non-volatile memory that incorporates the functions of FLASH and RAM (DRAM or SRAM See static RAM. SRAM - static random-access memory ) into the same memory cell. The McRAM cell can read and write like an SRAM, DRAM or PsuedoSRAM and will retain data when the power is off. Therefore, McRAM can eliminate the need for multiple memory chips in most systems that require both FLASH and RAM. Since McRAM replaces two chips with one, there is an obvious saving in system power consumption, area required and memory cost. "Many of today's wireless applications are constrained by power dissipation and space; McRAM is an enabling technology that will reduce these limitations," said O2IC founder and McRAM inventor Dr. Kyu Choi. Based on how the technology is implemented, McRAM can achieve either the high performance of SRAM or the high density, lower power performance typical of DRAM or PsuedoSRAM. When configured for sub 5ns speed, McRAM achieves a cell size much smaller than that of typical 6T SRAM implementation. When configured for the lowest cost and high density, McRAM achieves a cell size compatible with DRAM and PsuedoSRAM, with access times less than 70ns. During programming of the McRAM memory cell, the measured cell current is only 1uA. Furthermore, the programming voltage required is either 5V or 8V, based on the chosen cell configuration. For comparison, the typical programming current and voltage for the industry standard "stacked gate" type cell is 500uA and 12V respectively. In order to achieve a non-volatile "RAM cell," the programming current must be less than 5uA. This is one of the key technical barriers that had to be overcome. The low program current also permits the mixing of a McRAM cell and a DRAM or SRAM or Flash cell to further decrease the die size, if the entire memory array does not need to be non-volatile. McRAM was proven using a foundry's 18-mask logic type process with O2IC's added proprietary process module, which does not complicate or impact manufacturability or reliability. Since McRAM uses a conventional logic process technology as its basis, it can easily be utilized as an ideal core for embedded memories. Furthermore, the high performance, low programming current and non-volatility of McRAM makes it an excellent choice as the memory element for SoC, ASIC's, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) A type of gate array that is programmed in the field rather than in a semiconductor fab. Containing up to hundreds of thousands of gates, there are a variety of FPGA architectures on the market. or PLD (Programmable Logic Device) Refers to a variety of logic chips that are programmable at the customer's site, the customer being the vendor of the finished chip, not the end user. applications. Since McRAM combines the characteristics of RAM with Flash, it can be used as a stand-alone memory to replace the Flash and RAM chips commonly found in most products today. Applications include mobile phones, set-top boxes, DVD players, CD R/W R/W Read/Write R/W Right-Of-Way R/W Rotary Wing (aviation) R/W Random Width R/W Reimbursable Work R/W Raw Weight , personal digital assistants, global positioning and a variety of other hand held devices. As the mobile telecommunications products become more feature rich, the market will demand products with smaller size, lower cost and longer battery life. McRAM is an enabling technology to meet these goals that addresses a multi-billion dollar market. About O2IC Founded in 2001 by Dr. Kyu Choi, O2IC is a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. . Dr. Choi received his doctorial degree from the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. and has held various key positions at Intel, Synertek/Honeywell and Samsung. Dr. Choi was CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. and president of Soft Device from 1995 to 2001 prior to founding O2IC in 2001. O2IC has developed a revolutionary new memory technology, McRAM, to support stand-alone memory applications as well as applications requiring embedded memory or memory incorporated in SoC applications. McRAM can read and write like an SRAM or DRAM and will retain data when the power is off. Therefore, McRAM can eliminate the need for multiple memory chips in most systems that require both Flash and RAM. In addition, O2IC currently offers a product line of ultra low power An ultra low power, or ULP device, is an electronic gadget that has milli- or micro-watt power consumption. Some examples of ultra-low power devices:
Note for Editors: McRAM(R) is an O2IC, Inc. trademark registered in the U.S. patent and Trademark Office. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. In O2IC, the 2 should read subscript (1) In word processing and scientific notation, a digit or symbol that appears below the line; for example, H2O, the symbol for water. Contrast with superscript. (2) In programming, a method for referencing data in a table. . |
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