Virage Logic Corporation (Virage Logic) has signed a licensing agreement with Linear Technology Corporation (Linear Technology) for its AEON embedded non-volatile memory (NVM) solution. Linear Technology will use Virage Logic's NVM in its high-performance analog and power management ICs used in a broad range of applications. The AEON NVM is based on standard logic CMOS process without additional masks or the processing steps required.
The multiple-time programmable (MTP) AEON product line allows semiconductor companies like Linear Technology to create differentiated products that provide greater flexibility and higher performance, without changing their existing analog blocks or the designs.
We selected Virage Logic as a partner since their advanced non-volatile memory solution complements Linear’s power management technology, stated Don Paulus, vice president, power management products for Linear Technology.
The AEON NVM removes costly manufacturing steps that are typically involved with the embedded MTP NVM, while decreasing the engineering effort and its related costs of integrating NVM into system-on-chip (SoC) designs.
The company performs rigorous qualification testing on its AEON NVM, incorporating full characterization and the reliability testing over extended temperatures and manufacturing process conditions. Designed for ultra-high yield and reliability, AEON offers full read and program operation across a broad temperature range, encompassing products from -40degC to 150degC, with minimum 10-year data retention at 150degC. Its robustness makes AEON an ideal choice for the applications that need reliability in the most demanding environments.
Linear Technology’s selection of our AEON product line further validates the emphasis we put on reliability throughout the development process, said Craig Zajac, NVM product line manager, Virage Logic. Our focused effort is to develop and provide high-quality embedded NVM IP that meets or exceeds the stringent performance and reliability requirements of the power management market.
The company’s AEON supports a 100,000 write-erase cycles and the bit counts from eight bits to 8K bits. The company’s embedded NVM product line allows 100% electrical testing at wafer sort and abolishes costly field programming failures linked with one-time programmable (OTP) solutions. Optimized to allow considerable manufacturing and operational flexibility, final calibration can be performed at the wafer test, post-packaging, or in the field. Additionally, identical ICs can be calibrated and configured to implement the different features at final test, immediately before shipping.
AEON is available on leading foundries and in addition to being available on standard CMOS processes from 250-nanometer (nm) to 65nm, AEON is designed for Bipolar / CMOS / DMOS (BCD) processes optimized for power management and high voltage applications.