Seiko Instruments Launches High Performance SPI Serial EEPROM for Automotive Use

TOKYO, August 4 --

Industry's first 500,000-write performance and 50-year data retention at 125 degrees C

Seiko Instruments (SII) announced availability of the S-25A series of SPI Serial EEPROMs, specifically designed for use in the highly demanding automotive market. The ground-breaking S-25A EEPROMs set industry performance records by achieving 500,000 writes at 125 degrees C, and up to 50-year data retention.

Today's automobile designs increasingly require higher performance EEPROMs in on-board systems that control the car's operation, fuel consumption, and ensure the passenger's comfort and safety. Along with the requirement for increased EEPROM capacity, automotive applications also require extremely high reliability and security. The SII S-25A series was developed to specifically answer the needs of the automotive market.

While conventional EEPROMs typically have significantly degraded write performance at high temperature, the S-25A series assures performance of up to 500,000 writes at 125 degrees C, and 1,000,000 writes at 85 degrees C, along with retention of the EEPROM data for as long as 50 years.

Using SII's proprietary know-how, the new EEPROMs are screened to eliminate electronic leakage bit-errors; achieve a 4-ms write time (5 to 10 ms is typical for other manufacturers); and use special low power and voltage fluctuation detection circuits to prevent errors caused by electrical noise or variations.

Typical automotive applications include engine, transmission, and EPS control systems; ABS, ESC (Electronic Stability Control), and airbags; key-less entry, air-conditioning, dashboard displays, and BCM (Body Control Module). The S-25A series is offered in a wide range of memory capacities from 1k to 64k. SII forecasts sales of 10 million pieces annually.

About Seiko Instruments:

Headquartered in Chiba, Japan, SII is a world-leading supplier of high performance, compact, low-power electronic components to the automotive, cell phone, and similar markets. SII's nonvolatile memory ICs have delivered high performance, quality, and reliability for over 20 years.