1. NOR Flash Manufacturer Market Share Ranking in Q1 2020
The market share data for NOR Flash manufacturers in Q1 2020 shows that Winbond leads with the highest revenue market share. Its process technology is relatively advanced in the industry, currently using a 55nm process with a monthly production capacity of approximately 20K. Due to its complete NOR Flash product line, covering both low and high capacities, especially focusing on future opportunities in 5G base stations, the 512Mb NOR Flash will be one of Winbond’s main products, providing one of the few large-capacity solutions in the industry.
Ranked second is Winbond, closely following with a current process using 58/90nm technology and a monthly capacity of about 18K.
Ranked third is China’s Gigadevice, which has made significant advancements in product quality and output in recent years, even securing orders for Apple’s AirPods. Its R&D capabilities have been recognized, with a monthly capacity of about 9K, produced at SMIC (SIMC) and HuaLi Micro. Notably, the Gigadevice Group also includes CXMT, indicating that Gigadevice holds independent R&D capabilities for both NOR Flash and DRAM in China, playing an important role in the development of the Chinese semiconductor industry.
2. Sources of Increment in the NOR Market
The reasons driving the growth of the NOR Flash market are mainly threefold: First, the shipment volume of TWS has increased in recent years, with an estimated shipment volume of nearly 250 million pairs in 2020E.
Secondly, the global smartphone panel and OLED are also significant contributors to the increment, with smartphone shipments reaching 1788 million units in 2020E, and AMOLED shipments reaching 715.2 million units, contributing an increment of 443.42 million dollars to the NOR market.
The rapid development of AI-IoT has also contributed to the increment in the NOR market, bringing an increment of 2600.78 million dollars. Finally, the increased penetration rate of 5G has become a major driver for the increment in the NOR market, contributing an increment of 6011.84 million dollars.
3. Major Manufacturers and Products of NOR Flash
Electronic enthusiasts have summarized the major NOR Flash manufacturers and their products, among which Winbond, Winbond, and Wuhan Xinxin hold important positions in the NOR Flash field. After acquiring Cypress, Infineon’s Serial NOR Flash products are used in automotive navigation and entertainment systems. In addition, Gigadevice ranks third in NOR Flash revenue, with capabilities in R&D, production, and sales of NOR-related products. For specific details, see the table below.
Winbond provides serial flash products with densities ranging from 512KB to 256Mb in 8-pin SOP (150mil, 200mil) or 16-pin SOP (300mil) packages. These devices, organized in X1, support read, erase, and program operations. These products use the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) protocol. Winbond’s serial flash not only benefits the hardware configuration of systems but also reduces the complexity of system design. Our operation voltage range is from 2.7V to 3.6V for 3V products. All products are currently available from 512KB to 256Mb.
In addition, Winbond offers high-performance serial flash products with dual I/O and quad I/O operations, achieving double and quadruple reading performance up to 300Mbits/second for high-end consumer applications. Triggered on the rising and falling edges of the clock, the DTR (Dual Transfer Rate) mode further enhances the reading speed to 400Mbits/second. Multiple I/O products provide capacities of 8MB and above. Winbond also offers a range of low-voltage, 1.8V and 2.5V dual I/O and quad I/O interface serial flash products.
Winbond provides a wide range of industry-standard parallel flash memory products with 3V, 1.8V, and 5V operating voltages, ranging from 2Mb to 1Gb in density. These products have boot and unified sector architectures in x8, x16, and x8/x16 optional configurations. Winbond flash memory provides customers with cost-effective, high-performance, and reliable products, offering low power consumption, high durability, and reliability.
Winbond’s 3V parallel flash products are available in two versions: MX29LV series (standard read access) and MX29GL MX68GL series (page mode access). Winbond also offers 1.8V parallel flash products: MX29SL (standard access), MX29NS (burst mode, AD-MUX), and MX29VS (burst mode, synchronous read/write, AD-MUX).
Providing 8-bit, 16-bit, and 8-bit/16-bit selectable data transfer modes. Power supply voltages are 5V, 3V, and 1.8V. The MX29GL series offers advanced page mode interfaces optimized for read access and programming operations, allowing users to continuously read multiple data using page mode.
Winbond has launched a low-voltage 1.2V NOR Flash that supports the latest industry standards and can support dual, quad SPI, and Quad Peripheral Interface (QPI). The W25QxxND 1.2V series products have comparable operational performance to existing 3V and 1.8V flash products, and can further save power consumption. For battery-powered devices with limited design space, such as mobile devices, IoT, and wearable devices, and for flash memory requiring low power consumption, the W25QxxND 1.2V series products offer 2mm x 3mm USON8, narrow 150mil SOP8, 6x5mm WSON 8-pin packages, and KGD (Known Good Die). The 1.2V series products can operate up to 1.5V, using a single dry battery, unlike typical designs that require two batteries in series for 3V operation.
Winbond’s W25X and W25Q SpiFlash® Multi-I/O memory support the universal SPI interface, with capacities ranging from 512Kb to 512Mb, featuring small capacity erasable blocks and industry-leading operational performance. The W25X series supports Dual-SPI dual-line output mode, effectively doubling the operational frequency of the standard SPI.
The W25X series supports Dual-SPI dual-line output mode, effectively doubling the operational frequency of the standard SPI. The W25Q series is an advanced version of the 25X series, supporting Quad-I/O SPI four-line output mode, providing higher performance with an operational frequency of 104MHz equivalent to 416MHz (50M-Byte/S transfer rate), which is four times the performance of standard single-line SPI operations. The W25Q series not only outperforms parallel flash but also offers packages with fewer pins.
Faster transfer rates mean that the controller can directly execute in place (XIP) with the flash memory through the SPI interface or accelerate copying code to RAM, speeding up boot times. In addition, some SpiFlash® support QPI (Quad Peripheral Interface) for faster instruction set transmission, enhancing XIP transfer efficiency. Additionally, smaller packages are more conducive to applications in handheld and mobile devices with limited design space.
Wuhan Xinxin has launched the 50nm Floating Gate process SPI NOR Flash wide voltage product series XM25QWxxC. This product series supports low-power wide voltage operating ranges, suitable for IoT, wearable devices, and other power-sensitive application product design solutions.
The XM25QWxxC series products can achieve read speeds of up to 108MHz across a voltage range of 1.65V to 3.6V (supported in all single/dual/quad channel and QPI modes), providing faster and stronger performance than other suppliers, with no clock speed reduction after the power supply voltage drops. Its transmission rate outperforms 8-bit and 16-bit parallel flash. In continuous read mode, high-efficiency memory access can be achieved, requiring only 8 clock instruction cycles to read a 24-bit address, thus enabling true XIP (execute in place) operations.
The XM25QWxxC series flash chips support SOP8 and USON8 packages, suitable for portable product designs.
Single voltage supply, voltage: 2.7V to 3.6V, with a maximum read speed of 133 MHz, flexible memory architecture, sector size: 4K bytes
GigaDevice offers ultra-low power flash memory series with zero depth standby current
GIGADEVICE offers the GD25WD series, featuring zero standby current and low active read current, suitable for low-power applications. Highlights of the GD25WD series include zero standby current and a wide voltage range of 1.65V to 3.6V. The 128-bit unique ID feature also provides enhanced security for low-power applications. Voltage range is 1.65V to 3.6V, density ranges from 512 Kb to 8 Mb, utilizing single/dual SPI interface, with dual SPI data transfer rates of up to 160 Mb per second, along with flexible memory architecture (sector size: 4K bytes, block size: 32/64K bytes), high reliability, 20 years of data retention, and 100,000 program/erase cycles.
Micron Technology’s serial NOR solutions are designed to meet the needs of consumer electronics, industrial, wired communications, and computing applications. Micron’s industry-standard packaging, pin assignments, instruction sets, and chipset compatibility make it easy to adopt for designs, saving valuable development time while ensuring compatibility with existing and future designs.
Multi-I/O (single, dual, and quad channel) serial NOR lines offer attractive read performance (up to 54 MB/s), flexible memory partitioning (uniform 64 KB and 4 KB), small package sizes, and wide package support. The N25Q is based on 65 nm technology, powered by 1.8 V and 3 V, and also offers automotive-grade versions. The N25Q is compatible with M25P and M25PX series.
For customers focused on securing information and maintaining system integrity, having a secure connection system is paramount. As systems increasingly rely on external NOR Flash to protect the code and data in the connection system, the demand for advanced cryptographic security in memory has grown. Infineon states that its Semper Secure NOR Flash architecture adds a security subsystem to its functionally safe Semper products for end-to-end persistent protection, effectively safeguarding systems from damage.
The Semper Secure NOR Flash series includes AEC-Q100 automotive-certified devices, with an extended temperature range of -40°C to +125°C, supporting 1.8-V and 3.0-V operating ranges, and offering densities of 128 Mb, 256 Mb, and 512 Mb. The design of Semper Secure NOR Flash fully complies with ISO 26262 standards and meets ASIL-B standards for use in systems prior to ASIL-D. The implemented EnduraFlex architecture simplifies system design by optimizing high durability or long data retention partitions. Devices offer four serial peripheral interfaces (SPI), octal SPI, and hybrid bus interfaces. Octal and hyper bus interface devices comply with the JEDEC extended SPI (xSPI) standard for high-speed x8 serial NOR flash and offer read bandwidths of up to 400mbps.
Hengshuo Semiconductor provides Flash memory with universal SPI interfaces, with main products being the ZB25LD/ZB25LQ series operating at 1.8V, the ZB25VQ/ZB25D series at 3.0V, and the ZB25WD/ZB25WQ series with a wide operating voltage of 1.8/3.3V. Available capacity sizes range from 1Mbit to 256Mbit.
With a maximum operating frequency of 133MHz, and standard, dual, and quad working modes, Hengshuo Semiconductor’s SPI NOR Flash products can support data exchange speeds of up to (Dual) 266MHz and (Quad) 532MHz.
The static current of Hengshuo Semiconductor SPI NOR Flash products is as low as 1uA, with a data retention time of 20 years and a write/erase cycle of up to 100,000 times, operating temperature range of -40℃ to 105℃. Products are characterized by high reliability, low power consumption, and advanced security features, with applications covering DVD/CD drives, STB, DPF, Desktop and Notebook PCs, DVD Recorders, WLAN, DSL, LCD Monitors, Flat Panel TVs, Printers, GPS, MP3, etc.
Fudan Microelectronics has rich experience in NOR Flash design and now offers universal SPI interface Flash memory: FM25F/FM25Q series with a working voltage range of 2.3V~3.6V and FM25W series with a working voltage range of 1.65V~3.6V. Products are characterized by high reliability and high security, with applications covering mobile phones, network communications, security, PCs, IoT, displays, office equipment, and industrial control products.
● Capacity: 0.5Mbit to 256Mbit
● Multiple interface modes: SPI, Dual SPI, Quad SPI, QPI
● Operating Voltage: 1.65V-3.6V (FM25WXX), 2.3V-3.6V (FM25FXX/FM25QXX)
● Reliability: Data retention time of 20 years, erase life of 100,000 times
● Miniaturized packaging: SOP8(208mil), SOP8(150mil), DFN8, WLCSP
● Security Features: Hardware write protection, 32Byte secure sector, 128bit UID
Zhengtian Hongyu Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd. has rich experience in NOR Flash design and now offers universal SPI interface Flash memory with operating voltage ranging from 1.08V to 3.6V. Products are characterized by high reliability and high security.
Product Features: 1) Very small single bit particles, with an area of up to 4F² 2) Planned product capacity ranges from 256Mbit to 4Gbit 3) Interface modes: SPI, Dual SPI, Quad SPI, DDR 4) Operating voltage: 1.08V-3.6V 5) Reliability: Data retention time of 20 years, erase life of 100,000 times 6) Miniaturized packaging: SOIC, VSOP, WSON, USON, PDIP
Dongxin’s serial NOR FLASH product series offers a variety of specifications with universal SPI interfaces, with capacities ranging from 2Mb to 256Mb, two voltage options of 3.3V/1.8V, supporting Single/Dual/Quad SPI and QPI four instruction modes as well as various packaging methods, suitable for various application scenarios. Focused on small to medium capacities, cost-effective, widely used in devices with low storage space requirements.
Xincheng Technology provides industry-standard 25 series serial NOR Flash products, with miniaturized packaging, multiple capacity options, compatible instruction sets, wide voltage and high reliability fully covering consumer, communication, industrial, and personal computer application fields.
1. Ultra-low power, with typical deep sleep current as low as 60nA; 2. BP bit protection, OTP protection, independent block area protection ensure code safety; 3. High reliability, ensuring 100,000 erase cycles, data retention time of up to 20 years; 4. Supports wide voltage of 1.65~2.1V, 2.7~3.6V, 1.65~3.6V, capacity from 1Mb to 1Gbit; 5. Small size packaging such as DFN 1.2×1.2×0.40mm, 2x3x0.40mm, 4x3x0.55mm; 6. Provides KGD products and services to support SiP packaging needs.
Product overview and performance parameters: Using advanced 40-nanometer CMOS process technology, chip size 13.74 mm2, data storage does not require erasure action before working voltage +1.8V—+3.6V, SPI interface, maximum operating frequency 133MHz.
Product reliability parameters: The product withstands more than 10^5 erase cycles, strong radiation resistance, data retention time at 25℃ for 20 years, operating temperature -40℃—+85℃, 2kV ESD anti-static protection capability.
Yanghe Yang Microelectronics Technology
The NOR Flash series products of 2M (HY25D02IEIAAG) and 4M (HY25D04IEIAAG) adopt the USON 2x3mm process, while the 8M, 16M, 32M, 64M, and 128M series all adopt the SO-8 208mil packaging.
The operating voltage range is from 2.7 to 3.6V, and the operating temperature is -40℃—+85℃.
Xinzhe Electronics Technology
Xinzhe Electronics Technology provides Flash memory with universal SPI interfaces, with main products being the ZD25Q and ZD25LQ series, operating voltage of 1.8V and 3.3V, with capacity sizes ranging from 2Mbit to 128Mbit, supporting a maximum operating frequency of 105MHz, capable of operating in dual and quad modes, with static currents as low as 1uA, data retention time of 20 years, and write/erase cycles up to 100,000, operating temperature range of -40℃—+85℃. Products are characterized by high reliability, low power consumption, and advanced security features, with applications covering DVD/CD drives, STB, DPF, Desktop and Notebook PCs, DVD Recorders, WLAN, DSL, LCD Monitors, Flat Panel TVs, Printers, GPS, MP3, etc.
Douqi Technology’s SPI NOR FLASH series products comply with the international JEDEC standards regarding interfaces and control modes, and are strictly tested according to relevant JEDEC standards. The company adopts advanced design technology to optimize the read and write operations of storage cells, achieving low power consumption and high performance: fast operation speed, supporting various erase modes, with erase cycles up to 100,000 times and data retention of over 20 years. By closely collaborating with upstream and downstream partners, various packaging forms such as SOP, VSOP, TSSOP, DIP, WSON, BGA, USON are provided to meet the needs in consumer, industrial, and medical electronics applications.
Currently, the 3.0V and 1.8V, 512 Kbit to 256 Mbit high-end universal chip series under development are key core chips encouraged by the state for development, representative products such as SPI serial flash have completed development and design, performance parameters have fully passed customer verification, and have entered large-scale mass production. Boyatech BY25Q128AL has an operating temperature range of -40 to +85℃, packaged in VSOP8 208mil, with a capacity of 128M.
Reprinted：Electronic Enthusiasts
