SST Announces First Flash Memory Products With User-Selectable Block-Protection.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2000

New 2 Mbit and 4 Mbit High-Speed Products Allow High-Security

Program and Data Protection

SST (Silicon Storage Technology, Inc., NASDAQ: SSTI) today announced it has expanded its successful 39 series Multi-Purpose Flash (MPF(TM)) product family with two new devices. The new products, the SST39SF020P, a 2 Mbit flash device and the SST39SF040P, a 4 Mbit flash device, are based on SST's proprietary SuperFlash(R) technology and are targeted at applications in the digital consumer, networking, wireless communications and Internet computing markets. The new members of the 39 series MPF family are the first in the industry to offer user-selectable top or bottom block-protection in a single device, thereby allowing customers more flexibility in their designs and significantly reducing their inventory costs.

"These new devices enhance our popular 39 series MPF family and give our customers the ability to choose the right configuration of block-protection for their specific application," said Y.G. Han, marketing manager at SST. "Most manufacturers have to stock two types of block-protection memory devices to interface with microcontrollers in their designs. SST can help manufacturers dramatically lower their inventory costs by allowing them to select top or bottom block-protection in a single device."

The user-selectable top or bottom 16 KByte block-protection feature is ideal for manufacturers who want to permanently protect important code or data. When the block-protection feature is enabled, the top or bottom 16 KByte block (four sectors) is permanently write protected and cannot be erased or reprogrammed. This permanent data protection provides a higher level of security to the system. The flexibility and performance offered by the SST39SF020P and SST39SF040P make these devices ideal memory solutions for applications such as set-top boxes, routers and networking switches, where the convenient updating of program, configuration or data memory with an added level of security is required. The SST39SF020P and SST39SF040P also feature fast read access times of 45 and 55 nanoseconds, thereby enabling customers to eliminate high speed extra RAM from their board, and further reducing the chip count and cost of their design.

SST will also offer low-voltage block-protection MPF devices. The SST39VF020P, a 2 Mbit device, and the SST39VF040P, a 4 Mbit device, both use a single voltage supply of 2.7V to 3.6V for read, program and erase.

      Key Features of New Block-Protection MPF Products

--  Single voltage read and write operations
      --  4.5-5.5V for SST39SF020P/040P
      --  2.7-3.6V for SST39VF020P/040P

--  Fast read access time
      --  45 and 55 nanoseconds for SST39SF020P/040P
      --  70 and 90 nanoseconds for SST39VF020P/040P

--  Superior reliability, with greater than 100 years data retention

--  User-selectable top or bottom 16 KByte block-protection feature

--  Fast programming and erase -- 14 microseconds per Byte-Program
    (typical); 18 milliseconds for Sector-Erase (typical); 70
    milliseconds for Chip-Erase (typical)

--  Low power consumption -- active current 10 milliamperes (typical)
    and standby current of 30 microamperes (typical) for
    SST39SF020P/040P and 1 microampere (typical) for SST39VF020P/040P

--  JEDEC standard command sets and pinouts

--  Available in three packages; 32-pin PDIP, 32-pin PLCC, 32-pin TSOP
    (8mm x 14mm)


Pricing and Availability

                   New Block-Protection MPF Devices

Part Number   Density  Organization  Price(a)   Samples       Volume
                                              Availability  Production

SST39SF020P   2 Mbit   256 Kbit x 8   $1.69      May          July
SST39SF040P   4 Mbit   512 Kbit x 8   $2.75      May          July
SST39VF020P   2 Mbit   256 Kbit x 8   $1.56      June         August
SST39VF040P   4 Mbit   512 Kbit x 8   $2.64      June         August

(a) All pricing is for 100K units ordered.

About SuperFlash Technology

SST's SuperFlash technology is a NOR type, split-gate cell architecture which uses a reliable thick-oxide process with fewer manufacturing steps resulting in a low-cost, nonvolatile memory solution with excellent data retention and higher reliability. The split-gate NOR SuperFlash architecture facilitates a simple and flexible design suitable for high performance, high reliability, small or medium sector size, in- or off-system programming and a variety of densities, all in a single CMOS-compatible technology.

About Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, SST designs, manufactures and markets a diversified range of nonvolatile memory solutions, based on proprietary, patented SuperFlash technology, for high volume applications in the digital consumer, networking, wireless communication and Internet computing markets. SST's product families include high-functionality flash memory components, CompactFlash card mass storage products and 8-bit microcontrollers with on-chip flash memory. SST also offers its SuperFlash technology for embedded applications through its world-class manufacturing partners and technology licensees IBM, National Semiconductor, Motorola, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., SANYO Electric Co., Ltd., Seiko Epson Corp., TSMC-Acer Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TASMC) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC). Further information on SST can be found on the company's Web site at http://www.ssti.com.

For more information about SST and the company's comprehensive list of product offerings, please call 1-888/SST-CHIP or 1-888/221-1178 (North America) or 1-732/544-2873 (International) for SST's literature fax-on-demand service. Information can also be requested via email to [e-mail] or through SST's website at http://www.ssti.com. SST is located at 1171 Sonora Court, Sunnyvale, Calif.; telephone: [phone]; fax: [phone].

The SST logo and SuperFlash are registered trademarks of Silicon Storage Technology, Inc. MPF is a trademark of Silicon Storage Technology, Inc.