GlobalFoundries production eMRAM solution

GlobalFoundries announced in February that it had delivered the first production-ready eMRAM for the Internet of things and automotive applications on its 22FDX platform. It also says that its advanced eMRAM provides a cost-effective solution for low-power, non-volatile code and data storage applications.

GF said it has entered the production phase and plans to work with a number of customers and plans to achieve multiple production tapes by 2020. GF's eMRAM is designed to replace high-capacity embedded NOR flash memory (eFLASH). GF said its eMRAM had passed five rigorous actual solder reflow tests and showed 100000 cycles of durability and 10 years of data retention in the temperature range of-40 °C to 125 °C. The FDXeMRAM solution supports AEC-Q100 quality level 2 design and is under development to support next year's AEC-Q100 quality level 1 solution.

Compared with eFlash, which is widely used today, eMRAM has many advantages. It does not involve charge or current, but uses magnetic storage elements and relies on reading the magnetic anisotropy of two ferromagnetic films separated by thin barriers. This method does not require an erase cycle before data is written, which means higher performance. In addition, modern technology can be used to produce MRAM with high durability.

GF now offers a custom design suite that contains embedded chip-validated MRAM ranging from 4 to 48 megabits and provides MRAM built-in self-test support options. GF is supporting eMRAM in its 300mm production line in Fab1, Dresden, Germany. GF's eMRAM technology has been licensed by Everspin MRAM.