The 2 Mb and 4 Mb devices are designed to provide a lower-cost alternative to traditional parallel SRAM products and include circuitry for switching to an optional backup battery in the SRAM memory to retain data in the event of a power failure.
Unlike parallel RAM, which requires large packages and at least 26–35 microcontroller I/Os to connect, Microchip's serial SRAM devices are supplied in a lower-cost, 8-pin package and utilize a high-speed SPI/SQI communication bus that requires only 4–6 microcontroller I/O pins, thus simplifying integration. This reduces the need for a more expensive, higher-pin microcontroller and helps minimize the overall board footprint.
These 2 Mb and 4 Mb serial SRAM devices overcome the main disadvantage of serial SRAM (parallel SRAM is faster). They achieve this by increasing the bus speed to 143 MHz with an optional quad SPI interface (4 bits per clock cycle), which greatly minimizes the speed difference between the two solutions.
“Serial SRAM is a well-known solution for engineers who need more RAM than is available on the microcontroller but are trying to reduce cost and overall board size,” said Jeff Leasure, director of Microchip’s memory products business unit. “Microchip’s 2Mb and 4Mb serial SRAM devices aim to replace expensive parallel SRAM with a simple and cost-effective alternative.”.
The small size, low power consumption, and high performance of these serial SRAM devices offer unlimited lifespan and zero write time, making them an excellent choice for applications involving continuous data transfer, buffering, data logging, measurements, and other mathematical and data processing functions. These devices are available in capacities from 64 Kbit to 4 Mb and support SPI, SDI, and SQI bus modes. Visit memory product page for more information on the company's memory device catalog.
Pricing and Availability
The starting price for the SRAM 2Mb and 4Mb series devices is $1.60 per unit for orders of 10,000 units.
