Toshiba Introduces World's First 64 Megabyte SmartMedia(TM) Card

30 July, 1999


Packages Two 256-megabit NAND Flash Chips in SmartMedia Card and TSOP

Tokyo--Toshiba Corporation today demonstrated its continued leadership in the fast-growing market for NAND flash memory with the announcement of a 64-megabyte (MB) SmartMediaTM card and a 512-megabit (Mb) NAND memory in a thin small outline package (TSOP). Both devices double the capacity of NAND flash products currently on the market.

At the heart of both new devices is Toshiba's latest innovation in flash memory, a 256Mb NAND chip fabricated with 0.25 micrometer process technology and a shallow trench isolation structure. The new 64MB SmartMedia card mounts two of these chips in parallel in its postage-stamp size package and meets all the specifications of the Solid State Floppy Disk Card Forum, which defines standards for SmartMedia. The 512Mb NAND TSOP flash memory consists of two 256Mb chips stacked one on top of the other, which minimizes the overall package size.

A rapidly growing market, including digital still cameras, personal digital assistants, set-top boxes and portable audio players, confirms SmartMedia as the digital memory of choice in applications requiring reliable, rewritable, non-volatile, high-density data storage in a small, light, thin, attractively priced product. The doubled capacity of the new 64MB SmartMedia card adds to the versatility already shown by its predecessors: it supports the latest generation of 2-million-plus pixel digital still cameras with storage of 72 digital images recorded in 1,800 x 1.200 pixel fine-mode resolution; and will boost the popularity of personal solid-state music recorders through its ability to record up to one-hour of CD-quality music.

Toshiba has consistently led market innovation in SmartMedia card and is the largest manufacturer of the devices, with a current monthly production volume of 500,000 pieces. This company's commitment to NAND flash is reflected in its achievement of being first to market with 256Mb and 512Mb solutions, and in a product road map that will advance NAND to gigabyte levels of capacity in the near future.

Commercial samples of the 64MB SmartMedia card and 512Mb TSOP are now available, at 25,000 yen and 24,000 yen, respectively. Mass production will start this September, at an initial monthly volume of 50,000 pieces each.

Key Specifications
64MB SmartMedia card

Part number TH58512DC
Power supply 3.3 Voltage (+-0.3V)
Page size 512 + 16 bytes
Block size 16k bytes
Program time 200 microseconds per page (typical)
Erase time 3 milliseconds per block (typical)
Access time 25 microseconds (first), 80 nanoseconds (serial)
Package size 37 x 45 x 0.76 millimeters

512Mb NAND Flash Memory

Part number TH58512FT
Power supply 3.3 Voltage (+-0.3V)
Page size 512 + 16 bytes
Block size 16k bytes
Program time 200 microseconds per page (typical)
Erase time 3 milliseconds per block (typical)
Access time 25 microseconds (first), 50 nanoseconds (serial)
Package 48-pin TSOP Type I

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