Winbond QspiNAND Flash

To simplify the life of embedded designers looking to store code on NOR flash systems with densities beyond 512Mb, Winbond is offering QspiNAND products with the same SPI interface with a cost effective QspiNAND flash at 1Gb and 2Gb densities. While NOR flash is more cost effective at lower densities, NAND flash is more cost effective at 512Mb and above.

Benefits of Using Winbond QspiNAND Flash

NAND flash memory requires a controller to manage functions like detecting and correcting errors in some memory locations, managing memory blocks with errors, and relocating locations with errors to new locations that are error-free.

These QspiNAND family of products have built-in ECC (Error Correcting Code) that detects and corrects errors and offers contiguous good memory (bad block management), which offloads these functions from the controller and supports Executive-in-Place (XiP) functionality, in which an SoC or processor executes application code directly from the external flash memory without shadowing it to DRAM.

Code Shadowing

Typically in most systems, code stored in flash, is transferred to DRAM for faster execution of code with the processor. This is known as code shadowing. System designers are always looking for products that can transfer the code very quickly from flash to DRAM. Winbond’s “continuous read” functionality transfers the contents of NAND very quickly to the DRAM.

Winbond Code Storage Flash Memory

The Code Storage Flash Memory family consists of NOR, NAND and TrustME® Secure Flash Memories. Winbond is the #1 supplier of Serial Flash products in the industry and is the largest unit supplier of NOR flash memories. In this SpiFlash® family, products range in densities from 512Kb through 1Gb mostly in small 8-pin packages, in addition to 16-pin SOIC and 24-ball BGA packages at 3V and 1.8V with speeds up to 133MHz.

The SLC NAND flash memories are offered in densities from 1Gb through 4Gb in JEDEC standard packages and are compliant to the ONFi standard. As an extension to the SpiNOR family, Winbond offers QspiNAND flash products in 1Gb and 2Gb densities with special features like continuous read which facilitates fast data transfer between flash and DRAM on system designs. The QspiNAND products have built-in ECC and bad block management which simplifies the management of NAND. All of these flash products are available as KGD (Known Good Die) as well. A family of Multi Chip Package (MCP) NAND + DRAM products are also offered ranging from 1Gb through 4Gb densities at 1.8V primarily used in mobile and other applications.

With AEC-Q100, TS16949, ISO9001/14001, OHSAS18001 qualifications, flash memory products are available in Industrial grade and several of these products are qualified for Automotive grade. These products in the flash memory family are used in computer, communication, consumer, mobile, automotive and industrial applications.

Do you know more about Winbond's product uses, technical documents, and solutions related to QspiNAND Flash? Then quickly get in touch with Winbond Distributor - NHE!