Pure-play foundry United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) has entered into a licensing agreement with Silicon Storage Technology, a subsidiary of Microchip Technology Inc., for SST’s 40nm embedded flash intellectual property (IP).
The companies also have made available SST’s 55nm embedded SuperFlash non-volatile memory on in UMC’s 55nm production line. The qualification of the 55nm embedded memory showed 100k endurance with more than 10 years of data retention at 85 degrees Celsius and an operating temperature range of negative 40 degrees Celsius to 125 degrees Celsius. The embedded flash will be used to compliment microcontrollers and analog devices inside automotive applications, SST said.
Mark Reiten, vice president of technology licensing at SST, said in a statement that the extension of the partnership will enable SST to expand its “leadership in embedded, flash-based devices for automotive, industrial, consumer and IoT applications.”
For UMC, the partnership with SST gives the foundry an additional embedded memory for performance-driven IC designs. UMC’s 55nm and 40nm production lines contribute to more than 30 percent of the foundry’s revenue including its ultra-low-power 55uLP and 40 uLP processes, UMC said.
S.C. Chien, VP of specialty technology development at UMC, said in the same statement the customers for its 55nm Superflash technology are being deployed for “automotive, industrial, consumer and IoT” and UMC will be able to expand its embedded portfolio by including “SST’s 40nm technology.”
This marks the second 40nm embedded flash deal UMC has made in as many weeks after signing a similar licensing deal with Cypress in January.
Questions or comments on this story? Contact peter.brown@globalspec.com
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IHS Semiconductor Manufacturing
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