Embedded MRAM - Page 2

During a presentation during Persistent Memory Summit, a new slide from TSMC was shown that describes the company's eMRAM roadmap:

As we already know, TSMC is offering 22nm eMRAM option as an eFlash alternative. The company is also looking to develop 14/12 nm eMRAM option to replace SRAM memory (this is interesting as before it was revealed that the company is developing 16nm MRAM). Finally eMRAM is touted as a possible replacement for configuration memory (eFUSE / OTP / Flash).

Everspin Technologies announced its preliminary Q4 2020 financial results. Total revenues were $10 million, down from $10.1 million in Q3 and up from $9.7 million in Q4 2019. Net loss int he quarter was $1.6 million, but the company generated $0.6 million in cash flow - Everspin's second consecutive positive cash flow from operations quarter.

Looking at FY2020, Everspin's revenues increased 12.1% to $42 million. At the end of the year, Everspin had $14.6 million in cash and equivalents. In Q4 2020, the company also received its first royalty revenue from GF for embedded 22FDX process MRAM.

In March 2019 Samsung Electronics announced that it has started to mass produce its first embedded MRAM, made using the company's 28nm FD-SOI process. The company now announced that it managed to improve the MTJ function of its MRAM, which makes it suitable for more applications.

Samsung will now expand the application of its eMRAM solutions to more markets - specifically the automotive, wearable, graphic memory, low level cache, internet of things and edge artificial intelligence markets.

IBM announced that during the 2020 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM 2020), that is now being held virtually, its researchers will reveal the first 14 nm node STT-MRAM. IBM says that efficient and high-performance STT-MRAM systems will help to address memory-compute bottlenecks in hybrid cloud systems.

IBM says that the 14 nm node embedded MRAM which will be revealed is the most advanced MRAM demonstrated to date. It features circuit design and process technology that could soon enable system designers to replace SRAM with twice the amount of MRAM in last-level CPU cache.

TSMC announced, during the company's virtual European technology symposium, that it is developing MRAM technologies for its 16nm FinFET platform. The company expects to offer flash-like configuration risk production starting in 4Q21 and RAM-like risk production scheduled for 4Q22.

The company also expects to "explore smaller geometries" for its MRAM (and RRAM) solutions. TSMC started offering 22nm MRAM in 2018.

Everspin Technologies announced that it has amended its STT-MRAM joint development agreement (JDA) with GLOBALFOUNDRIES to set the terms for a future project on an advanced 12 nm FinFET MRAM solution. Everspin agreement included 40 nm, 28 nm and 22 nm processes, and now also include 12 nm.

GF recently announced it has achieved initial production of embedded MRAM (eMRAM) on its 22FDX platform.

GlobalFoundries announced that it has delivered the first production-ready eMRAM on its 22FDX platform for IoT and automotive applications. The company says that its advanced eMRAM provides a "cost-effective solution for low-power, non-volatile code and data storage applications".

GF says that it has entered production and is working with several clients with multiple production tape-outs scheduled in 2020. GF's eMRAM is designed as a replacement for high-volume embedded NOR flash (eFLASH). GF says that its eMRAM has passed five rigorous real-world solder reflow tests, and has demonstrated 100,000-cycle endurance and 10-year data retention across the -40°C to 125°C temperature range. The FDX eMRAM solution supports AEC-Q100 quality grade 2 designs, with development in process to support an AEC-Q100 quality grade 1 solution next year.

Mentor announced that it will provide a unique IC test solution for the Arm's eMRAM compiler IP which is built on Samsung Foundry’s 28nm FDSOI process technology.

Mentor says it is working with Arm to leverage industry-leading Tessent software Built-In Self-Test (BIST) Design-for-Testability (DFT) technologies for testing the next-generation of Arm's eMRAM compiler IP in development.

Samsung announced that it has started to mass produce its first embedded MRAM, made using the company's 28nm FD-SOI process. Samsung says that its eMRAM memory module offers higher performance and endurance when compared to eFlash, and can be integrated into existing chips.

Samsung details that its eMRAM is 1,000 times faster than its eFlash memory, and it does not require an erase cycle before writing data (unlike Flash memory). The voltage used is also lower - and in total eMRAM consumes 1/400 the energy compared to eFlash for the writing process. Samsung's MRAM capacity, though, is lower than its 3D Xpoint, DRAM and NAND flash.

In October 2018 Intel revealed that it is developing embedded MRAM - and that the company has successfully integrated embedded MRAM into its 22nm FinFET CMOS technology on full 300mm wafers.

Now Intel gave more details on its embedded STT-MRAM, and said that the technology is ready for high-volume manufacturing. Intel said it has used a "write-verify-write" scheme and a two-stage current sensing technique to create 7Mb perpendicular STT-MRAM arrays in its 22FFL FinFET process.