New PCM models what does the data say?|Spansion rides the high|xkcd|Meet your favorite SF author?

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	Share this Newsletter: October 30, 2012

Issue Highlights PCM data retention and the impact of crystal electrodes (Part 2) My favorite (Internet) waste of time Spansion sees strong embedded, consumer growth for flash Silicon Valley Nation: The 64-bit question on ARM, AMD Fujitsu rolls out low-power FRAM PCM data retention and the impact of crystal electrodes (Part 1) Editor's Note Last week, we presented a new model for phase change memory (PCM) that indicated that projected lifetimes for future generations of devices might not hold. Our PCM specialist Ron Neale discussed the seeded-bridge theory, its implications, and the analysis that pointed him toward it. In part two of that article, he presents actual data and shows that it supports the model but also raises questions. Find out more and join the conversation when you read this week's feature. There are the fun or useful websites, and then there are the black holes like the brilliant xkcd (above), where once you get past the event horizon, well, you're stuck (at least I am). We've all got our guilty pleasures. I've listed a few of my favorites in this week's blog. What are yours? Speaking of entertainment, who's your favorite science fiction author? Myself, I've always been a fan of David Brin, who uses his physics background to write classic hard science fiction. Who gets your vote? The folks at UBM want to know – there's talk of having a science fiction author keynote an upcoming meeting. Weigh in with your opinion and let's see what happens. Don't forget to stop by the site to see what else we have. I welcome your feedback and would love to hear from you about particular topics you would like to see us cover. Have an idea for a contributed article? Drop me a line and we can get the process started. Until next week, Kristin Lewotsky Editor, Memory Designline Klewotsky@chezhardy.com How Tos PCM data retention and the impact of crystal electrodes (Part 2) Crystallized electrodes in phase change memory devices present a new scaling barrier to data retention at high temperatures. Combating fake chips by controlling supply chain The U.S. Defense Department is implementing steps to stop counterfeit chips from entering the supply chain. Semiconductor re-creation can help reduce the use of fake components in weapons. PCM data retention and the impact of crystal electrodes (Part 1) Elevated-temperature data retention characteristics for a given phase-change memory material composition are structure dependent and will not hold for lithographically scaled devices. Memory solution addressing power and security problems in embedded designs New applications are driving SoC designs that demand high performance, frugal energy consumption and small enough to fit into consumer devices. Such SoCs demand a memory subsystem to match their stringent power and security needs… Testing high-speed memory with non-intrusive embedded instruments, part 3 The final article in this series examines the tradeoffs among the non-intrusive methods and discusses how they have been implemented in the industry. Split-gate thin-film storage provides NOR flash alternative Based on nanocrystals, SG-TFS provides fast, efficient read/write operation in a reliable, economical, scalable, efficient technology. How partial dynamic reconfiguration helped make an FSK demodulator The ability to reconfigure a portion of a Xilinx FPGA on the fly allowed a European research team to create a more dependable system. Testing high-speed memory with non-intrusive embedded instruments, part 2 Learn how non-intrusive debug and test methods can meet the challenges that design and manufacturing engineers encounter. What we did on your summer vacation Catch up on articles you may have missed during the summer months. Technology Trends: DDR4 first look The new DRAM standard leverages a pseudo-open-drain design and techniques like an on-die Vref to position itself for faster performance and lower power consumption in the same size package. How to detect timing defects between memory and logic Thorough test means testing through the RAM. OEMs and semiconductor suppliers take turns driving innovation and integration The 20th century artifact of the serial EEPROM may finally give way to the 21st century antifuse NVM IP. Products Fujitsu rolls out low-power FRAM Device operates from 2.7 V to 5.5 V and offers 256 Kb capacity. Xilinx announces defense-grade All Programmable FPGAs and SoCs Fail safe capabilities extend Xilinx secure leadership with the industry's only defense-grade All Programmable FPGAs and SoCs for demanding applications. Boost productivity with Xilinx Vivado Design Suite 2012.3 New multithreaded place-and-route, plus reference designs, accelerate time to implementation of All Programmable 7 series FPGAs. New Lattice MachXO2 control systems dev kit The MachXO2-4000HC FPGA-based kit combines programmability with ease of use to simplify electronic systems designs. ISSI samples 1 Gb, 2 Gb DDR3 SDRAMs Devices operate at 1.5 V and offer clock speeds up to 933 MHz. Rohm rolls out high-speed EEPROMs Series offers 512 k and 1 Mb densities with speeds up to 1 MHz. Intrinsic-ID launches cloud security app using "Electronic Fingerprint" The Saturnus application enables secure data access anytime, anywhere. Mentor upgrades Questa with formal Mentor Graphics has released a new version of its Questa functional verification suite with added formal capabilities… Welcome to the DesignCon Community, expanding your DesignCon experience. Discuss the latest news, insights, trends, and technical knowledge available with your peers and industry experts without having to wait until January. Start the conversation now and keep it going. Visit the DesignCon Community Commentary My favorite (Internet) waste of time We've all got those sites that we can't help checking even when we should be working. Here are a few of my favorites—what are yours? Which sci-fi author would you like to meet? Seriously, here's your chance to pick which science fiction author you would like to see at one of our forthcoming UBM events. What were they thinking: Scientists responsible for their work When a bridge fails – who is responsible? The designer, the people who constructed it, shoddy materials that are out of spec... $100 Supercomputer – YES! We made it! Well, what an exciting time. I'm happy to inform you that we succeeded in pushing the guys at Adapteva over their Kickstarter goal. Mobile DRAMs show staying power DRAM prices might be falling for commodity modules, but mobile DRAM remains a bright spot in the market. Technical Papers SmartFusion2 Lowest Power FPGAs Reduced Battery Current Using CC112x/CC1175/CC1200 with TPS62730 Verifying Cache Coherency Protocols with Verification IP Twelve Design Techniques for Successful Integration of Data Converter IP into an SoC SmartFusion2 FPGAs: Breakthrough Capabilities for Advanced Security, High Reliability, and Low Power FPGA Applications Improve Lithium-Ion Battery-Stack Safety in Electric Vehicles by Leveraging Optocouplers to Isolate High Voltages Courses and Webinars A Large Capacity SRAM Alternative to Embedded DRAM Embedded Memory Test and Repair Solution: Keeping Up with Changing Design Applications and Shrinking Process Technologies Considerations for Implementing an Embedded Memory Subsystem in Graphic Applications Selecting the Best Non-Volatile Memory IP for RFID Applications Isolated Interface Solutions for Industrial Sensor and Monitoring Applications Wideband Complex Modulation Analysis Using a Real-Time Digital Demodulator Fundamentals of Memory Resources Around the Network Events NASA and WPI open robot competition Videos on memory design challenges Market Information: Forward Insights Get Connected with the Connecting Edge – A new online community from TE Join our new community where we will talk about the latest news, insights and opinions regarding electrical connectivity. Share your personal challenges and successes with your colleagues and industry leaders on The Connected Edge. Register today! News Spansion sees strong embedded, consumer growth for flash NOR and NAND technologies find success even in a gloomy economy. Silicon Valley Nation: The 64-bit question on ARM, AMD Any significant push into servers almost demands a tighter partnership between the two processor companies. AMD lays off 15 percent, eyes embedded push Advanced Micro Devices said it is laying off 15 percent of its workforce to reduce costs while targeting the embedded chip sector. EETimes' Silicon 60: Hot startups to watch Seventeen new companies join version 14.0 of our list of 60 emerging startups. Newcomers range from memory and EDA firms to processor and sensors developers. 10 Hot Topics at ARM TechCon Designing with ARM? Read on to get a 10% discount for the show, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. IBM licenses embedded memory IP Memoir Systems says its Renaissance4X embedded memory IP technology offers a 4X increase in memory operations per second. Adesto buys Atmel serial flash families Developer of resistive RAM non-volatile memory buy serial flash product families from Atmel. HP, Hynix delay memristor debut A two-terminal, nonvolatile memory version of a memristor, in development by Hewlett-Packard since 2008, won't be ready for commercialization at the end of 2013.