Features - Storage Innovations:

STMicroelectronics ANNOUNCES NEW FLASH MEMORIES

STMicroelectronics has expanded its broad range of Firmware Hub (FWH) and Low Pin Count (LPC) Flash memories with the introduction of higher density and higher performance 16Mbit Flash devices: the M50FW016 (2Mbit x8, FWH, Uniform Block) and M50LPW116 (2Mbit x8, LPC, Boot Block).

ST is the first company to offer a complete range of Flash memories for PC BIOS from 2Mbit to 16Mbit. The new 16Mbit devices are also the first on the market to be compliant with the Low Pin Count Interface specification, 1.1 Revision, allowing the M50FW016 to support multi-byte Firmware Memory Read/Write cycles, with the M50LPW116 able to support Read/Write memory cycles. Thanks to the multi-byte Read Operation, the transfer rate can grow up to 15.6 MBytes per second, faster than any existing serial Flash interface.

The M50FW016 and the M50LPW116 specifications have been defined in cooperation with motherboard designers to ensure full compliance with their requirements. These devices are suitable for computer applications, such as servers, PCs and workstations to store system and video BIOS, embedded operating system/application software, configuration parameters and more. In addition, these Flash memories are ideal for Code Storage Applications, such as printers, digital still cameras, set-top boxes, DVD-RW drives, taking advantage of a fast serial interface.

"The introduction of these new 16Mbit devices, means that ST is the first to offer a complete Flash memory portfolio for computer applications, ranging from high end servers and notebooks to low cost personal computers. ST is committed to be a leader in this market and to support innovative processor designs," said Giuseppe Crisenza, vice president of the Memory Product Group in ST. "Due to the high bandwidth these products can reach, they also represent a faster solution to store the code of all those applications requiring a serial Flash interface."

The parts have been developed in ST's state-of-the-art 0.15 micron process technology and they can both be electrically erased at the block level and in-system reprogrammed on a byte basis, using a 3.0 to 3.6 supply voltage; an optional 12V Vpp power supply is also provided to reduce programming and erasing times.

The M50FW016 is organized as 32 Uniform Blocks of 64 KBytes each. The M50LPW116 has asymmetric block architecture: its array of 50 blocks is divided into one boot block of 16 KBytes, two parameter blocks of 8 KBytes, one main block of 32 KBytes, 30 main blocks of 64 KBytes and 16 parameters of 4 KBytes each.

The programming time for both devices is 10 microseconds (typical), with an option to program four adjacent bytes in the memory array simultaneously, through the Quadruple Byte Program command. The erasing time for a 64 KByte block is 0.75s (typical), although a chip erase operation is also available.

Additional common features for 16Mbit FWH and LPC memories are: a double way for block protection (the first one is hardware, through write protect pins and the second one is software, through lock registers) and the Identification Inputs Pins, allowing up to 16 devices to be connected at the same bus.

All the functionalities of the M50FW016 and M50LPW116 Flash memories are respectively available through Firmware Hub and Low Pin Count Interfaces. An optional Address/Address Multiplexed (A/A Mux) protocol allows faster programming time at the customer's production line.

The products are available in TSOP40 (10x20mm) package; the PLCC32 package can also be offered on demand. Further information on these devices is available at www.st.com/flash.

About STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics is a global leader in developing and delivering semiconductor solutions across the spectrum of microelectronics applications. An unrivalled combination of silicon and system expertise, manufacturing strength, Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio and strategic partners positions the Company at the forefront of System-on-Chip (SoC) technology and its products play a key role in enabling today's convergence markets. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on Euronext Paris and on the Milan Stock Exchange. In 2002, the Company's net revenues were $6.32 billion and net earnings were $429.4 million. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com.

Contact: Stanley March, Director of Investor Relations, USA, 212-821-8939, Fax: 212-821-8923.