Waferscale Doubles Flash and I/O On 8-Bit Flash PSDs; PSD835G2 & PSD935G2 ICs Offer MCUs 512 KByte Flash, 8 KByte SRAM, CPLD & 52 I/Os.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 20, 2000

Only External Flash Solution Available Immediately

Waferscale Integration announced today that it has doubled the flash memory and I/O on its two popular 8-bit PSD families, the PSD8XX and PSD9XX. Two new devices are being introduced today, the PSD835G2 and PSD935G2. Similar to other PSD8XX and PSD9XX devices, these two new ICs provide dual banks of external flash, SRAM, programmable logic, and extra I/O to 8-bit CISC MCUs, such as those from Infineon, Motorola, Philips, Intel and others.

PSD835G2 and PSD935G2 are available now with a with a twelve week lead time on production quantities. Virtually all other external flash memory solutions are currently on allocation.

The PSD835G2 and PSD935G2 both have 512 KBytes of flash memory, a second concurrent 32 KBbyte flash array, 8 KBytes of SRAM, and a programmable interface to any 8-bit CISC MCU.

The new devices also expand the number of I/O ports from 25 to 52. The PSD935G2 has 1,500 gates of programmable logic for chip selects, address decoding and other logic functions. Like other members of Waferscale's PSD9XX family, the logic design of the PSD935G2 is completely automated from the point and click menus in Waferscale's free PSDsoft Express(TM) EDA tool. The PSD835G2 has a 3,000 gate CPLD that designers can use to design custom peripherals, such as loadable shift registers and counters, state machines, and mail boxes.

The large flash memories on the two new devices make them ideal for embedded systems that need to collect large data streams over long periods of time, but have simple enough processing requirements that an 8-bit controller is sufficient. These systems include automotive control systems that must maintain fault logs and keep track of trouble codes; medical monitoring equipment that must keep track of the patient's status; and industrial process control systems that must maintain logs on industrial processes, such as the chemical composition of a paint formula or the thickness of rolled steel.

According to David Raun, Waferscale's vice president of marketing, "There are many 8-bit embedded control applications that need large amounts of in-application programmable flash memory to maintain data logs that may need to be updated as frequently as every few seconds over several hours or even several days or months. Although the processing requirements for these systems are fairly simple, the memory requirement can be enormous. There just aren't any single-chip, 8-bit MCUs that have flash memory densities above 64 KBytes today. A handful of 16-bit MCUs offer as much as 256 KBytes of on-chip flash, but a 16-bit MCU is really overkill in the types of applications we are targeting.

"The other issue we are addressing for these types of systems is the need to re-write flash sectors during system operation. After the doctor, process chemist, or other end-user reviews the data, the system needs to free up flash sectors so additional data can be logged. We call this 'in-application programming' or IAP," Raun explained. "In order to implement in-application programming, the system must have two separate flash memory arrays -- one to execute system commands while the other is being erased and re-written. There are no single-chip MCUs available today with dual flash arrays, such as those on flash PSDs, so the only way to implement IAP is to have a second external flash memory. This adds a lot of overhead in terms of board space and power drain and increases the design cycle because interfacing, address decoding and memory mapping of the external memories makes the system more complex. Both the PSD835G2 and the PSD935G2 have two separate flash arrays, one of which can execute system operations while the other is being programmed or re-programmed. We believe these new PSDs are the most effective option for 8-bit systems that have substantial data logging requirements. Both the larger memory and the additional I/O have been popular requests by Waferscale's current customers."

Eight I/O Ports. 52-Individually Configurable I/O Pins -- In addition to doubling the size of the primary flash memory array, the PSD835G2 and PSD935G2 have extended the number of I/O ports from 27 to 52. Eight-bit MCUs are notoriously I/O-poor and the extra I/O is particularly useful in embedded systems that must communicate with a large number of external devices, such as the sensors and switches in climate control or security systems. The I/O on the PSD835G2 and PSD935G2 allow a single system to control access to multiple areas of a large buildings, while the large flash array allows the system to log data on the identity, time of day and other parameters of persons entering and leaving the building. The IAP capabilities of these devices allow security access codes to be easily upgraded as needed.

Built-in MCU Interface -- Like other PSD8XX and PSD9XX devices the two new PSDs have a programmable interface to any 8-bit CISC MCU, including 8051/31 MCUs from Intel, Philips, and Dallas, 68HC11/05/08 devices from Motorola, and Infineon's C500 Series controllers. Waferscale's PSDsoft Express EDA Tools provide point and click menus that allow designers to configure the PSD device for the microcontroller architecture in just a few seconds. Any other solution with comparable flash densities would require the designer to build the MCU interface out of standard logic or PLDs adding to the design cycle.

ISP Port Allows End-product Customization Immediately Prior to Shipment -- PSD835G2 and PSD935G2 devices have a special ISP port that allows first time in-system programming as fast as twenty seconds. Many embedded flash systems use a standard UART channel to program the flash memory, which typically can take at least 130 seconds per Mbit. This programming time is too long for efficient production line programming, so most devices are pre-programmed by the distributor, resulting in the same inventory and manufacturing issues as those that occur when EPROMs are used. The twenty second ISP programming time of the PSD835 and PSD935 mean that end-products may actually be programmed as they leave the factory. The interface is based on the IEEE 1149.1 JTAG communications standard most often used in conjunction with board level testing for programming programmable logic devices from Altera, Xilinx and others. As a result, the production-line programming equipment already installed on the factory floor can be used to program flash PSDs.

Pricing, Packaging and Availability -- PSD835G2 and PSD935G2 devices are not on allocation. They are available in quantity, immediately, in an 80-pin TQFP package. In quantities of 10K or more, the PSD835G2 is priced at $ 9.44 and the PSD935G2 is priced at $8.79.

Waferscale's World Wide Web site is www.waferscale.com.

Waferscale Integration, Inc. is the leading supplier of highly integrated programmable solutions for high-speed embedded control designs. Its PSD families of single-chip, field-programmable microcontroller peripherals off-load microcontroller functions so that MCUs can operate faster and do more. The power-conserving features of PSD devices can extend system battery life by several hours. The company's family of high performance, non-volatile memory products offers densities of 16 Kbit to 1 Megabit with access times as low as 25 ns and 3.3 volt devices with access times as low as 70 ns. Waferscale is located in Fremont, Calif.

Note to Editors: PSDsoft, EasyFLASH and FlashLINK are trademark of Waferscale Integration, Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. ABEL is a registered trademark of MINC.