Many times, choosing a FLASH memory device is
driven by which manufacturer has the cheapest offer-
ing. Regardless of its use as a stand-alone device or as
the program memory of a microcontroller, what is often
overlooked are the many key design parameters, or the
features that the memory may offer to the application.
Endurance, data retention, temperature, operating volt-
age and frequency, and programming time all play sig-
nificant roles in the reliability of the device. Selections
based on cost alone may be penny-wise but dollar-
foolish; the application may be the cheapest on the
market but its overall quality can negatively impact the
customer’s perception and therefore, their future pur-
chases. Carefully balancing these factors can make the
difference between an application that’s a long term
superstar or a one hit wonder.
This technical brief will review the basic operation of
Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) cells and the key factors of
memory performance that should be considered in the
decision making process. We will use these factors to
show why Microchip’s FLASH technology is such a
strong contender in the world of embedded control
design. TB072
FLASH Memory Technology:
Considerations for Application Design
Author: Rodger Richey Program and erase operations are primarily accom-
plished by two methods. Programming can use either
Microchip Technology Inc.
Channel Hot Electrons (CHE) or Fowler-Nordheim tun-
neling (FN). Erase operations can use either FN tunnel-
INTRODUCTION ing or Emission. CHE uses a combin……
