Microchip Technology’s Silicon Storage Technology (SST) and foundry partner United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) have jointly announced that their 28nm SuperFlash® fourth‑generation (ESF4) Automotive Grade 1 (AG1) platform has completed full certification and is now in production. The platform delivers reliable and cost‑effective embedded flash memory solutions for high‑performance automotive controllers.
A key highlight of the production‑ready platform is the deep integration of SST’s innovative ESF4 technology with UMC’s 28HPC+ process. The solution not only meets stringent Automotive Grade 1 standards but also significantly reduces mask steps compared to similar 28nm HKMG eFlash alternatives, lowering production costs and boosting efficiency for customers. The platform also offers a smooth migration path for clients using the 40nm ESF3 AG1 platform, enabling rapid upgrades to advanced process performance.
UMC Vice President of Technology Development Steven Hsu stated that the automotive industry’s shift toward automation and connectivity is driving surging demand for high‑reliability data storage and large‑capacity update capabilities, which in turn requires SuperFlash technology to advance to the 28nm node. With ESF4 fully integrated into the 28HPC+ platform, customers can leverage UMC’s rich portfolio of models and IP to easily enter key markets and achieve a process transition. Mark Reiten, Vice President of Microchip’s Licensing Business Unit, added that a mature, production‑proven 28nm AG1 solution helps developers enhance efficiency, shorten time‑to‑market, and precisely address the fast‑growing automotive semiconductor demand.
The platform delivers strong performance and reliability, having passed AEC‑Q100 Grade 1 certification and supporting a wide junction temperature range of ‑40°C to +150°C, suitable for demanding automotive environments. Key specifications include read access time below 12.5 ns, over 100,000 erase‑write cycles, data retention exceeding 10 years at 125°C, and stable operation with only 1‑bit ECC correction. Notably, the 32 Mb macro achieved zero bit errors (without ECC enabled) under AG1 conditions, demonstrating 100% peak yield and proven reliability.
With automotive controller shipments growing rapidly, embedded non‑volatile memory (eNVM) is essential for code and data storage. This ESF4 solution based on UMC’s 28HPC+ process can meet the flexible requirements of over‑the‑air (OTA) updates for high‑capacity controller firmware, perfectly supporting diverse automotive application scenarios and providing a core enabler for automotive electronics upgrades.
ICgoodFind : The partnership fills a gap in advanced‑node automotive memory, and the mass production of the ESF4 platform will accelerate the evolution of automotive controllers, supporting high‑quality development in the automotive electronics industry.
