Micron Technology, Inc., today introduced the highest-density Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) NOR memory available, launching 1 gigabit (Gb), 512 megabit (Mb) and 256Mb products in both 1.8V and 3V power supply voltages. Employing state-of-the-art 65nm process technology, the N25Q product family offers the highest-speed quad I/O in the industry and a full set of advanced features and small packages that improve overall system performance and time-to-market in networking, set-top boxes, automotive and a wide range of industrial, computing and consumer applications.

Extending the company's legacy of memory leadership, Micron's new SPI NOR product line balances customers' needs for cost-effective solutions at higher densities while ensuring compatibility among future chipsets. Micron's long-term commitment to customers in the embedded markets is reinforced by Micron's Product Longevity Program (PLP) - a 10-year commitment to provide stable memory architectures for customer designs. The new N25Q products will be offered as part of this program to provide design assurance for its PLP customers.

These new devices join a complete line of SPI NOR flash memory that provides the advantage of increased performance with reduced pin count compared to parallel memory.

"In addition to providing the world's highest-density, high-performance SPI NOR memory, the N25Q family provides package and software compatibility across densities, from 32Mb to 1Gb," said Tom Eby, Vice President and General Manager of Micron's Embedded Solutions Group. "When combined with industrial temperature range, 1.8V and 3.0V power supply options, and the longevity of Micron's PLP program, this product family provides an ideal solution for the SPI NOR needs of the embedded market."

Micron's best-in-class N25Q SPI NOR family offers the following advanced features:

• Multiple I/O protocol - single SPI, dual SPI (DSPI) and quad SPI (QSPI)
• Double transfer rate (DTR) feature enhances read performance
• 54 MB/s read transfer rate at 108 MHz clock
• Footprint compatibility across the entire line, from 32Mb up to 1Gb
• 500 KB/s program speed
• 4 bytes of address mode supported for high-density range requirements (128Mb+)
• Execute-in-place (XIP) capability supports code execution directly from the flash,
• reducing RAM usage and overall cost
• Nonvolatile configuration register delivers maximum flexibility in application usage models

"The NOR market continues to trend toward SPI devices, with analysts estimating that more than half of NOR revenue will be SPI by 2013," said Eby. "Micron's high-density N25Q products further solidify our commitment to the NOR market and position us well to continue capturing increased share in the SPI segment."

Sampling now, Micron's 1Gb, 512Mb and 256Mb devices are available through Micron's sales channels.