AMD targets PC BIOS code storage with new Flash device.SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 25, 1996--AMD today announced the 2 Mbit Am29F002 Flash memory device, the newest member of AMD's industry-standard Am29Fxxx family of 5.0 Volt-only, single-power-supply devices. The Am29F002 has several features that are important for PC BIOS See BIOS. code storage including single-power-supply operation and boot sector Reserved sectors on disk that are used to load the operating system. On startup, the computer looks for the master boot record (MBR) or something similarly named, which is typically the first sector in the first partition of the disk. architecture. The Am29F002 will be supported by all major third-party BIOS providers including Phoenix, Award, SystemSoft and AMI. The device will be available in industry-standard 32-pin PLCC (Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier) A plastic, square, surface mount chip package that contains leads on all four sides. The leads (pins) extend down and back under and into tiny indentations in the housing. See chip package. and 32-pin TSOP (Thin Small Outline Package) A very thin, plastic, rectangular surface mount chip package with gull-wing pins on its two short sides. TSOPs are about a third as thick as SOJ chips. See gull-wing lead, SOP, SOJ and chip package. packages. Many PC manufacturers prefer the PLCC package since it is easier to work with in a printed circuit board (PCB PCB: see polychlorinated biphenyl. PCB in full polychlorinated biphenyl Any of a class of highly stable organic compounds prepared by the reaction of chlorine with biphenyl, a two-ring compound. ) assembly environment. "The Am29F002 is an ideal Flash memory solution for storing PC BIOS code in Windows-compatible PCs," said Walid Maghribi, vice president of AMD's 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. division. "Flash memory is a key technology in new PCs that support the Plug and Play standard. These applications are migrating from 1 Mbit to 2 Mbit densities. We are introducing the Am29F002 just as PC manufacturers are requiring a 2 Mbit solution for PC BIOS code." Manufacturing and Process Technology The Am29F002 will be manufactured by Fujitsu-AMD Semiconductor Ltd. (FASL FASL Feet Above Sea Level FASL Fujitsu Amd Semiconductor Limited FASL Fellow, Academic Society of London ), a joint venture that uses the manufacturing and design expertise of both companies. FASL, the world's largest dedicated Flash manufacturing facility, will initially manufacture the device on a 0.5 micron 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. Flash memory process. Am29F002 Overview AMD's single-power-supply Am29F002 is a 5.0 Volt-only, 2-Megabit Flash memory device configured as 256K x 8. Product features include: Boot sector organization Embedded algorithms Industry-standard architecture 5.0 Volt-only Operation The Am29F002 is a 5.0 Volt-only device, eliminating the need to switch to a 12.0 Volt power supply, which reduces system cost and simplifies board layout. Boot Sector Architecture The boot sector architecture is compatible with BIOS code developed by all of the major third-party BIOS providers. This sector architecture allows for storage of boot code, parameters, and main code in different sectors. The boot sector architecture also facilitates modular code development for PC manufacturers that write their own BIOS code or designers that use the Flash device for other applications. The memory array is segmented into smaller sectors for flexible erase operation. The Am29F002 contains seven unequal sized sectors, one 16 Kbytes, two 8 Kbytes, one 32 Kbytes, and three 64 Kbytes. Sectors can be erased individually, in multiples, or the entire device can be bulk erased. The device is available in both top boot and bottom boot versions. Sector Protection Any or all of the sectors of the device can be write protected in standard PROM programming equipment. Sector protection provides virus proofing of code and keeps boot code from being inadvertently altered. Several other advanced features of the Am29Fxxx family of 5.0 Volt-only products and the Am29F002 include: JEDEC/Industry Standard The Am29F002 meets the single-power-supply JEDEC The division of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) that deals with semiconductor standards (officially, the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association of EIA). JEDEC was formed in 1958 when the Joint Electron Tube Engineering Council (JETEC) split into two Joint Electron Device standard for pinout and software commands. Endorsed by leading semiconductor manufacturers, the Am29Fxxx architecture is the only global standard for Flash. Embedded Algorithms AMD's Embedded Program and Embedded Erase algorithms simplify Flash operation by automating the programming and erase operations on the chip. System-level performance is improved by freeing the host CPU CPU in full central processing unit Principal component of a digital computer, composed of a control unit, an instruction-decoding unit, and an arithmetic-logic unit. from dedicated control of the device. Embedded algorithms automatically detect and correct overerase and eliminate program/erase software implementation errors associated with first-generation, manual algorithm Flash devices. 100,000 Program/Erase Cycle Endurance AMD (Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, www.amd.com) A major manufacturer of semiconductor devices including x86-compatible CPUs, embedded processors, flash memories, programmable logic devices and networking chips. guarantees a minimum of 100,000 program/erase cycle endurance. This equates to higher system quality and reliability. High Performance Access times are as fast as 55 nanoseconds, allowing operation of high-speed microprocessors without wait states. High speed Flash devices are important in many PC peripheral applications, such as modems and disk drives, as well as some communications applications. Package, Price and Availability The Am29F002 is currently sampling and volume shipments are scheduled to begin in May. The device will ship in 32-pin PLCC and 32-pin TSOP packages. Price for the 120ns device in PLCC packaging is $11.10 in quantities of 1,000. Price for the 120ns device in TSOP packaging is $12.80 in quantities of 1,000. About AMD Focusing on personal and networked computing and communications markets, AMD produces microprocessors and related peripherals, Flash memories, programmable logic devices, and circuits for telecommunications and networking applications. Founded in 1969, AMD has sales and manufacturing facilities worldwide. -0- NOTE TO EDITORS: Safe Harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. Statement This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including the timely development and market acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the timely development of wafer fabrication Wafer Fabrication is a procedure composed of many repeated sequential processes to produce complete electrical or photonic circuits. Examples include production of radio frequency (RF) amplifiers, LEDs, optical computer components, and CPUs for computers. process technologies, the effect of changing economic conditions, and such risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the company's SEC reports. WORLD WIDE WEB: Press announcements and other information about AMD are available on the Internet via the World Wide Web. Type http://www.amd.com at the URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. prompt. Additional information may be obtained by calling 800/222-9323 or 408/749-5703. Please do NOT use editor contact or corporate telephone numbers for sales information. Embedded Program and Embedded Erase are trademarks of AMD. GENERAL NOTICE: Product names used in this publication are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective companies. CONTACT: Advanced Micro Devices, Sunnyvale Elaine Smith
Internet: elaine.smith@amd.com |
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