Cypress integrates Ramtron F-RAM offerings

USA: Cypress Semiconductor Corp. announced that it has integrated Ramtron International’s ferroelectric random access memory (F-RAM) products into its portfolio, offering the market’s widest range of densities for fast-write nonvolatile memories.

F-RAM is the industry’s lowest-power nonvolatile memory, complementing Cypress’s nonvolatile static random access memories (nvSRAMs), which are the world’s fastest. This new combination serves a broad range of applications that require data to be retained when power is lost. Combined, over a billion units of Cypress nvSRAM and Ramtron F-RAM products have been shipped worldwide.

The merger between Cypress and Ramtron was officially completed on November 20, 2012. Cypress is maintaining Ramtron part numbers, which represent the market’s widest range of F-RAM densities, to help support existing F-RAM customers. There will be no supply disruption for more than 95 percent of production parts, including all popular serial F-RAM memories and processor companions.

Along with popular serial and parallel interface memories, the Cypress nonvolatile memory portfolio also includes wireless memories commonly used in RFID tags and integrated products that combine nonvolatile memory with a real-time clock in one package.

“Ramtron developed F-RAM technology with industry-leading performance, and Cypress is committed to supporting these products with both our manufacturing expertise and our global sales team and distribution network,” said Dana Nazarian, executive VP of the Memory Products Division at Cypress. “We plan to invest R&D resources in F-RAM technology as an integral part of our memory business.”

“F-RAM adds considerable strength and versatility to our nonvolatile memory portfolio,” said Babak Taheri, VP of the Nonvolatile Products Business Unit at Cypress. “Adding F-RAM as a complementary offering to our nvSRAM products gives our customers the best solutions for speed and power consumption across a broad range of end markets.”

F-RAM and nvSRAM are inherently nonvolatile and do not require a battery backup. F-RAM memory cells inherently feature 10 trillion cycle endurance, fast single-cycle and symmetrical read/write speeds, low energy consumption, gamma radiation tolerance, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. These features make it ideal for a wide range of applications, including automotive, smart meters, medical devices, ePOS and printers.