
Preliminary
This data sheet contains design specifications for product development.
This product is still under development and these specifications
may change in any manner without notice
Ramtron International Corporation
1850 Ramtron Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921
(800) 545-FRAM, (719) 481-7000, Fax (719) 481-7058
2 September 1999
www.ramtron.com
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FM25C160
16Kb FRAM
Serial Memory
Features
16K bit Ferroelectric Nonvolatile RAM
Organized as 2,048 x 8 bits
High endurance 10 Billion (10
10
) read/writes
10 year data retention at 55
°
C
NoDelay Writes
Advanced high-reliability ferroelectric process
Very Fast Serial Peripheral Interface - SPI
Up to 5 MHz maximum bus frequency
Direct hardware replacement for EEPROM
SPI Mode 0 & 3 (CPOL, CPHA=0,0 & 1,1)
Description
The FM25C160 is a 16-kilobit nonvolatile memory
employing an advanced ferroelectric process. A
ferroelectric random access memory or FRAM is
nonvolatile but operates in other respects as a RAM.
It provides reliable data retention for 10 years while
eliminating the complexities, overhead, and system
level reliability problems caused by EEPROM and
other nonvolatile memories.
Sophisticated Write Protection Scheme
Hardware protection
Software protection
Low Power Consumption
10
μ
A standby current
Industry Standard Configuration
Industrial temperature -40
°
C to +85
°
C
8-pin SOP or DIP
Unlike serial EEPROMs, the FM25C160 performs
write operations at bus speed. No write delays are
incurred. Data is written to the memory array mere
hundreds of nanoseconds after it has been
successfully transferred to the device. The next bus
cycle may commence immediately. In addition, the
product offers substantial write endurance compared
with other nonvolatile memories. The FM25C160 is
capable of supporting up to 1E10-read/write cycles --
far more than most systems will require from a serial
memory.
These capabilities make the FM25C160 ideal for
nonvolatile memory applications requiring frequent
or rapid writes. Examples range from data collection,
where the number of write cycles may be critical, to
demanding industrial controls where the long write
time of EEPROM can cause data loss.
The FM25C160 provides substantial benefits to users
of serial EEPROM, in a hardware drop-in
replacement. The FM25C160 uses the high-speed SPI
bus, which enhances the high-speed write capability
of FRAM technology. It is guaranteed over an
industrial temperature range of -40°C to +85°C.
Pin Configuration
Pin Names
/CS
SO
/WP
VSS
SI
SCK
/HOLD
VCC
Function
Chip Select
Serial Data Output
Write Protect
Ground
Serial Data Input
Serial Clock
Hold
5V
Ordering Information
FM25C160-P
FM25C160-S
8-pin plastic DIP
8-pin SOP