Intel TE28F640C3BC80: A Comprehensive Technical Overview of the 64-Mbit Flash Memory Chip
The Intel TE28F640C3BC80 stands as a significant component in the lineage of non-volatile memory solutions, representing a robust 64-Mbit (8-MByte) flash memory chip engineered for high-performance applications. Fabricated on advanced CMOS technology, this device integrates Intel's innovative Multi-Level Cell (MLC) architecture, enabling efficient data storage with a single 3.3V VCC supply voltage. Its design emphasizes reliability, speed, and flexibility, making it a cornerstone for embedded systems, telecommunications infrastructure, networking equipment, and industrial controllers.
A primary feature of this memory chip is its asynchronous page-mode operation, which significantly enhances read performance. By organizing memory into pages, the device allows for rapid sequential access, achieving page-mode read access times as low as 25ns. This is complemented by a versatile memory architecture organized as 64 Megabits, configured as 4,194,304 words x 16 bits or 8,388,608 words x 8 bits (via the BYTE pin), providing design flexibility for different system bus widths.
The chip employs a block-erasable architecture, where the entire memory array is divided into multiple uniform 128-Kbyte blocks. This granular structure is critical for modern data management, allowing specific sectors to be erased, programmed, or read independently. This is indispensable for storing application code, boot code, and configuration data, facilitating efficient firmware updates and execution-in-place (XIP) capabilities directly from flash memory.
Programming and erasure are executed through a command-driven interface, which simplifies integration with standard microprocessors and microcontrollers. The write state machine automates all internal algorithms for programming and erase, relieving the system processor from these tedious tasks. This interface ensures robust data integrity with features like automatic erase and program verification. Furthermore, the device incorporates advanced functionality for protection, including a hardware-based locking mechanism that prevents accidental writes or erasures to critical boot code blocks. Additional software command locks offer further security layers.
Durability and longevity are hallmarks of this component. It is rated for a minimum of 100,000 program/erase cycles per block, ensuring reliable performance over the long operational life of a product. Data retention is specified at up to 20 years, guaranteeing that information remains intact without power. Operating at industrial temperature ranges (-40°C to +85°C), it is built to perform reliably in harsh environmental conditions.
ICGOODFIND: The Intel TE28F640C3BC80 is a quintessential example of a high-density, flexible, and reliable flash memory solution. Its combination of a fast asynchronous interface, sophisticated block-erase architecture, and robust hardware and software data protection mechanisms made it a preferred choice for developers of complex electronic systems requiring non-volatile storage. Its legacy lies in its balanced performance and resilience, enabling a generation of embedded innovation.
Keywords: Flash Memory, Block-Erase Architecture, Asynchronous Page-Mode, Command-Driven Interface, Non-Volatile Storage
