Fujitsu launches world’s first 125°C spec. low power memory for SiPs

BANGALORE, INDIA: Fujitsu Microelectronics Asia Pte Ltd (FMAL) today launched two new consumer FCRAM memory chips featuring an operating temperature range that has been extended to a high-temperature of 125°C for the first time in memory with a DDR SDRAM interface.

Sample shipment of the two new FCRAM products, the 512Mbit (MB81EDS516545), and 256Mbit (MB81EDS256545), will begin from today. These products are low power consumption memory optimized for use in system-in-packages (SiPs) in digital consumer products such as digital TVs and digital video camcorders.

Customers will benefit from using these new FCRAM chips combined with a System-on-Chip (SoC) in a SiP configuration, in that as the temperature of the SiP rises with the increase of operating speed, the operation is not impaired or limited by the memory. Further, there are benefits of reduced development effort needed for product design, reduced board space, as well as a reduction in the number of components.

Today’s digital consumer products continue to demand higher performance and faster speeds as well as low costs. To satisfy such needs, the use of SiPs, that combine for example a memory chip with a SoC, has been increasing. The use of SiPs also reduces the number of necessary components as well as reducing board space, thus helping to lower system costs. SiPs also make design easier, such as for the development of high-speed memory interfaces or for noise reduction measures.

Fig. 1: Options for thermal design in memory SiPs show the superiority of the new FCRAMs

As illustrated in Fig. 1, up until now conventional memory has given limitations to SiP usage that are resolved with the new FCRAM products. Fig. 1(a) shows a SiP configuration where a high-performance SoC has a large power consumption that generates heat such that the SiP temperature becomes 105°C. The SoC is specified to a maximum of 125°C so its operation is fine, however a conventional memory is used that can only operate up to 95°C so this SiP configuration is not usable.

To use such a conventional memory in the SiP, another option is to add some kind of heat disperser like a heat-sink. As shown in Fig. 1(b), this would reduce the SiP temperature to 90°C so operating is feasible, however there is increased cost and increases size. Subsequently, many customers who have been investigating using SiPs have wished for memory with an extended operating temperature range.

Fujitsu Microelectronics has responded to those needs by developing these 512Mbit and 256Mbit Consumer FCRAM products with a maximum operating temperature of 125°C. As shown in Fig. 1(c), using the 125°C rated FCRAM, the SiP operates fine even with an SoC with high power consumption, and without the need to add a heat-sink. This solves the problem of increased costs for thermal measures encountered when trying to use 95°C-rated conventional memory.

Furthermore, even for operating temperatures of 125°C, these FCRAM products can provide data transfer rates that are more than two times the data rate of conventional DDR SDRAM memory, while keeping power consumption low.

In fact, the new 512Mbit FCRAM for example can provide a reduction in power consumption of up to 50 percent compared to the equivalent conventional DDR2 SDRAM memory. Therefore, these new FCRAMs also contribute to a 50 percent reduction of CO2 emissions from the memory in digital consumer products.

Fujitsu Microelectronics will continue to develop products with the necessary performance and functionality for SiPs in order to provide solutions for digital consumer products with optimal value and cost.