Spansion Serial NOR Flash Memory Performance Demo on Freescale i.MX28 Platform

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Mark Franken

Serial NOR Flash memory use is on the rise. With its lower system cost due to controller pin-count reduction, smaller and simpler PCBs, switching noise reduction, and lower power consumption, Serial NOR Flash solutions are offering several benefits over parallel Flash memories.

A transition to serial NOR Flash from parallel does come at the price of reduced performance. For applications that have switched from the parallel interface to standard serial interface, read performance of the memory declines by 50% to 70% (typical 90ns parallel Flash memory in byte or word mode, compared to the SPI Flash memory running at 50MHz in single I/O mode).

Now, with the performance improvements provided by multi-I/O functionality, design engineers can bring the benefits of a lower cost serial NOR Flash memory subsystem to new applications while maintaining similar levels of performance. In the video below, Bob France, VP of Customer Engineering at Spansion, demonstrates the improvements quad I/O mode provides over standard single I/O operation using a Freescale i.MX28 evaluation platform.

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Auto Innovation in a Flash

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Mark Franken

Flash memory is driving innovation throughout the automotive industry. As electronics in the car proliferate, so does the need for additional Flash memory to store and protect application code and data. Electronic systems requiring Flash memory include infotainment, instrument clusters, telematics, safety and power train.

Spansion has spent nearly 20 years tuning its automotive products and services to fulfill the unique needs of the automotive industry. To learn more about what it takes to be the number one supplier of NOR Flash memory to automotive, watch the interview below with Anthony Le, Spansion’s Automotive Segment Manager.

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Customer Support is in our DNA

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Mark Franken

Most companies, if not all, talk about being customer-focused, but at Spansion it’s part of our DNA. We are making decisions now through a new internal filter to evaluate and demonstrate that it meets a specific customer requirement. Our customer focus extends to how we support our partners and customers. We are committed to providing the resources they need to help ensure quick integration of our products into their designs.

Our support options for technical assistance and expertise on Spansion products include:

Our Spansion Engineering Solutions (SES) team of engineers
SES is available to help with technical questions and support. Email us at spansion.solutions@spansion.com, or call 1-877 FlashHelp (352-7443). You can also you can also submit an engineering request online.
The searchable Ask Spansion knowledgebase
The SES team answers questions and shares answers to common design challenges.
A redesigned website with new tools to speed product selection and information retrieval
- A support center and robust product finder conveniently accessible from our home page.
- A technical library featuring datasheets, application notes, and detailed packaging information.
- System-level integration tools including: simulation models, software drivers and Flash file system information, and hardware development tools.

Spansion is at your service. We welcome your feedback and strive for continuous improvement.

Building Trust

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Mark Franken

Spansion has made a number of changes over the past year to better focus on where we could add value for our customers. The events of the past year and a half have inevitably strained some relationships; we thank those many customers who stood by us. And we are pleased that, since our successful emergence, others are starting to re-engage. It is our priority to build new levels of trust with customers and partners and demonstrate we can execute against requirements and continue to provide superior customer service, high quality and reliable products – and long-term supply. We are committed to this.

One of the key elements to building trust is listening and being proactive in our communications on everything from our strategy, progress, challenges, products and our observations on industry events that are relevant to our customers and other stakeholders. Communicating through various channels is more important than ever.

Our blog is a new channel where we will provide you details on Spansion Flash products and technical information, application-specific use of our Flash memory, investments we are making in leading-edge technology and commentary on developments in our industry.

We look forward to establishing an additional dialog with our stakeholders using the Spansion blog. In the coming weeks, you will be hearing about our technology history and examples of where we are applying our memory IP today. You can also learn how to tap the wealth of support options at Spansion and answers to some of the most common technical questions. Leave a comment and let us know what questions you may have or topics you would like to discuss.