Ramtron Introduces 64-Kilobit FRAM-Enhanced Processor Companion

Colorado Springs, CO -- Ramtron International Corporation launched the FM3130, a 64-kilobit (Kb), 3-volt FRAM-Enhanced Processor Companion product that combines the benefits of nonvolatile ferroelectric RAM with an integrated real-time clock/calendar (RTC) in one package. The FM3130 has been streamlined to reduce system cost and board space in consumer and computing applications, supporting system functions in products such as printers and high-definition televisions (HDTVs), without the need for discrete components.

"The FM3130 has been optimized for price-sensitive applications," explains Mike Alwais, vice president of Marketing at Ramtron. "This FRAM-Enhanced Processor Companion has been well-received in consumer-centric markets in Asia and was developed to support a number of specific customer design-ins that are already in place, including HDTVs and printers."

The FM3130 combines 64Kb of FRAM with a real-time clock/calendar (RTC) that incorporates an alarm and a programmable frequency clock output, and uses a common 12pF watch crystal. The alarm compares user-programmed alarm values to corresponding RTC time/date values, creating a solution for automatic on/off, channel switch and parental control and personal video recorder (PVR) functions in high-end televisions.

An industry-standard 2-wire bus is used to access the memory and to control the RTC. Available in an 8-pin TDFN (thin dual flat no-lead) package that is footprint-compatible with TSSOP8s, or a standard 8-pin, 150-mil SOIC package, the device operates from 2.7 to 3.6 volts over the entire industrial temperature range (-40 degrees C to +85 degrees C).

SOURCE: Ramtron International Corporation