Fujitsu Starts Volume Production of 2 Mbit FRAM Chips; Industry-leading Volume Production of Largest Capacity FRAM Chips.

Tokyo, Japan, Apr 18, 2007 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) today announced the availability of its 2 Megabit (Mbit) FRAM[1] memory chips, the largest capacity FRAM in volume production in the world[2]. The two FRAM memory products, MB85R2001 and MB85R2002, have the characteristics of FRAM which is a non-volatile memory[3] that features high-speed data writing, low power consumption, and which can endure a high number of write cycles.

In recent years, in electronic equipment such as car navigation systems, multi-function printers, and measuring instruments, non-volatile memory is being used to store various parameters, record operating conditions of equipment, as well as store security information. FRAM is ideal for such applications, as compared to E2PROM[4] it can endure a high number of write cycles, and has low power consumption as well as high-speed data writing. In accordance with advancement of higher functionalities of these types of equipment, demand is increasing for FRAM that features higher memory capacity.

As a pioneer in the field, Fujitsu started volume production of FRAM products in 1999, and has reached worldwide sales of approximately 500 million chips, including discrete memory chips and chips with embedded FRAM memory. In order to meet demand for increased FRAM memory capacity, Fujitsu doubled the memory capacity from previous products and brought the MB85R2001 and MB85R2002 products to market as early as possible. These 2 Mbit FRAM products are the largest capacity FRAM products at volume production level in the world.

Compared to conventional battery-backup SRAMs, using these new FRAM products from Fujitsu make it unnecessary to rely on a battery for data retention, while also enabling simplification of production processes and maintenance tasks, and reduction of material waste, thereby alleviating the environmental burden.

Sample Price & Availability

Product          Sample Price        Availability
               (including tax)

MB85R2001        2,000 Yen        From April 18, 2007
MB85R2002        2,000 Yen        From April 18, 2007

Sales Targets

Total of both chips : 200,000 chips per month.

Key Features

High-speed writing using low power, high cycle endurance:

FRAM is one of the next generation memories that feature the advantages of both RAM and ROM. Compared to E2PROM, the data writing speed of FRAM is over 10,000 times faster, the power consumption during writing is less than a tenth, and the number of possible write cycles is over 10,000 times higher.

2 Mbit in same package as 1 Mbit FRAM product:

The new products have the same electrical characteristics and use the same TSOP-48 package as Fujitsu's 1 Mbit FRAM products (MB85R1001, MB85R1002) in production. With the additional connection of only one address, a shift to the 2Mbit products is possible. Therefore, on the same printed circuit board, depending on the necessary memory capacity either 1 Mbit or 2 Mbit FRAM can be selected.

Anticipated Applications

With FRAM's characteristics of high-speed data writing, and the high number of possible write cycles, it can be used in office equipment to store event counts, or store various parameters and log at every event, without concern for the number of write cycles. FRAM allows 10 billion read/write cycles, which corresponds to writing 30 times a second continuously for 10 years. Also, FRAM can store data for more than 10 years without a battery. For measuring instruments, if power is cut, data can be written to FRAM at high-speed so valuable data will not be lost. Utilizing such characteristics of FRAM, functions which could not be achieved using other memories such as SRAM, E2PROM, and flash memory, can be achieved with FRAM.

Key Specifications

                              MB85R2001                 MB85R2002

Bit Configuration         256 Kwords x 8 bits      128 Kwords x 16 bits

Power Supply Voltage                       3.0 - 3.6V

Operating Temp. Range         -20 C                     +85  C

Read Access Time                           100 ns
Read Cycle Time

Write Cycle Time                           150 ns

Data Retention Period                   over 10 years

Write Cycle endurance           over 1010 (10 billion cycles)

Package                                   TSOP-48

Glossary and Notes

[1] FRAM: Ferroelectric Random Access Memory. A non-volatile memory that uses a ferroelectric film as the capacitor for data retention. Data is held even without a power supply. Features strengths of both ROM and RAM, such as fast writing speed, low power consumption, and endurance of a high number of write cycles. It is also referred to as FeRAM.

[2] Largest capacity FRAM in volume production in the world: As of April 17, 2007, as surveyed by Fujitsu.

[3] Non-volatile memory: Memory that retains data even when power is switched off.

[4] E2PROM: Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. A non-volatile memory that can be erased electrically, and is a readable and writeable ROM.

About Fujitsu Ltd

Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702; ADR: FJTSY) is a leading provider of customer-focused IT and communications solutions for the global marketplace. Pace-setting device technologies, highly reliable computing and communications products, and a worldwide corps of systems and services experts uniquely position Fujitsu to deliver comprehensive solutions that open up infinite possibilities for its customers' success. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu reported consolidated revenues of about 4.8 trillion yen (US$40.6 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006. For more information, please visit www.fujitsu.com.

Source: Fujitsu Ltd

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