This non-volatile data—such as calibration constants, environmental conditions, user preferences, and environments with varying noise levels—is often adjusted by the end system or the user in small groups of bytes. Serial EEPROM (Serial Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) is the memory of choice for these applications because it offers non-volatility, byte-level control, ease of use, and low power consumption. Microchip Technology Inc. has introduced its new, higher-density EEPROM, the 25CSM04.
Microchip's new 4 Mbit EEPROM is the highest-capacity EEPROM available to developers, doubling the 2 Mbit limit designers have faced until now. Developers have been using lower-cost NOR Flash integrated circuits for applications requiring more than 2 Mbit of non-volatile memory. Since EEPROM offers higher performance than NOR Flash, Microchip has responded to customer demand by introducing a 4 Mbit EEPROM. Advantages of EEPROM include lower standby current (2 µA vs. 15 µA); the ability to write a single byte, multiple bytes, or an entire page; shorter sector erase/rewrite times (5 ms vs. 300 ms); and more erase/rewrite cycles (1M vs. 100K).
“Pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with serial EEPROM drives product innovation,” said Randy Drwinga, vice president of Microchip’s memory product division. “Designers can now re-evaluate their systems and leverage this new technology to optimize their design performance.”.
The 25CSM04 belongs to Microchip's extensive catalog of non-volatile memory products, which are part of Microchip's system solutions based on its 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit microcontrollers and microprocessors.
Microchip's extensive family of memory products consists of serial EEPROM, NOR Flash, SRAM and EERAM on standard serial buses and with standard densities from 128 bit to 64 Mbit.
As a technology innovator in serial EEPROM for over 30 years, Microchip supplies around one billion EEPROM devices per year.
Development Tools:
Microchip's 4 Mbit serial EEPROM devices are supported by the MPLAB Starter Kit for serial memory products. The kit consists of a serial memory interface board, serial EEPROM starter pack, USB cable, a CD containing the MPLAB X Integrated Development Environment (IDE), the Total Endurance™ software model, and a serial EEPROM interface tool.
Pricing and Availability:
The 25CSM04 memory device family is available in three packages and starts at $2.32 for orders of 10,000 units. For more information, contact a Microchip sales representative or authorized distributor, or visit the Microchip website.
