As the automotive industry's demand for high-performance vehicle controllers rapidly grows, Silicon Storage Technology (SST), a subsidiary of Microchip Technology, is beginning full-scale production of high-reliability eNVM solutions targeting the automotive controller market.

Microchip announced on the 16th that its subsidiary SST, in collaboration with global foundry company UMC, has officially launched the 28nm SuperFlash Generation 4 (ESF4) Automotive Grade 1 (AG1) platform.

SST has completed full qualification of ESF4 on UMC's 28HPC+ process platform and is immediately entering volume production.

This is evaluated as a result of further strengthening the high-reliability embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) technology required in the automotive semiconductor market.

SST and UMC have secured the performance and reliability of ESF4 through close joint development.

In particular, compared to the existing 28nm High-K/Metal Gate (HKMG)-based eFlash solution, the number of masking processes was significantly reduced, realizing both manufacturing efficiency and cost savings.

This provides a significant advantage to automotive semiconductor development companies as they transition to next-generation process nodes.

Customers currently using the 40nm ESF3 AG1 platform can naturally consider the 28nm ESF4 AG1 platform when developing next-generation vehicle controllers.

The ESF4 is designed for a variety of automotive applications, including high-performance MCUs, controllers for ADAS, and electrical systems.

“The automotive industry demands both high reliability and rapid development,” said Mark Lighton, vice president of Microchip’s Licensing Division. “The 28nm AG1 solution from UMC and SST is production-ready and ready to accelerate customer design adoption.”

He also emphasized that UMC is a key partner in SuperFlash technology innovation, explaining that both companies are continuously advancing their technology in response to market changes.

Steven Hsu, Vice President of UMC Technology Development, also said, “With the spread of autonomous driving, connected cars, and shared mobility, the demand for in-vehicle data storage and large-scale updates is rapidly increasing,” and “Customer demand to expand SuperFlash technology to the 28nm process has increased significantly.”

He added that ESF4 is fully integrated into the widely used 28HPC+ platform, allowing customers to leverage a variety of IPs and models.

This ESF4 AG1 platform meets key performance indicators such as: AEC-Q100 Grade 1 certification (operating temperature -40°C to 150°C), read access time of less than 12.5ns, endurance of more than 100K cycles, data retention of more than 10 years in a 125°C environment, requiring only 1-bit ECC, and achieving 0 bit errors and 100% peak yield based on 32Mb macro.

The automotive controller market has demanding requirements, including over-the-air updates, large-capacity firmware storage, and high-reliability data maintenance.

SST's ESF4 is designed to meet these demands, enabling the development of next-generation battlefield systems.It is evaluated as an eNVM solution suitable for feet.

For inquiries regarding SuperFlash technology, please visit the SST website or contact your local sales representative. For information on UMC's processes and products, please visit the UMC official website.