Flash memories for SoC: an overview on system constraints and technology issues

Abstract

Flash memories are today one of the fundamental building blocks in modern electronic systems. Their performance (speed, consumption, alterability, nonvolatility) and the increasing importance of system reconfigurability push for flash memory integration in SoC. Unfortunately, flash integration introduces new issues both at system and at circuit/technology levels that need to be deeply investigated. From the system point of view, several aspects are involved in the choice of the flash memory type to be integrated in SoC: the most important ones, depending on the specific applications and requirements (cost, power consumption, reliability and performance requirements), are illustrated. Also circuit-technology issues specific to flash integration with high-speed logic are discussed in depth by analyzing the real case of an embedded 1-T NOR flash memory.