Ramtron has introduced what it claims is the industry's first nonvolatile logic family. Ramtron's enabling FRAM technology allows logic states to be stored and retained automatically, transparently and immediately, with no software intervention, according to the company.
While ordinary logic devices forget the functions they were performing upon power loss, nonvolatile logic remembers. Ramtron's nonvolatile logic adds an entirely new category to the logic market and significantly expands hardware design possibilities. System designers of consumer and industrial electronics will now have hardware that function intelligently after a power outage.
The FM573 and FM574 are the first two products in the nonvolatile logic family. The FM573 is a nonvolatile transparent octal latch, and the FM574 is a nonvolatile octal D-register. Both products are pin and function compatible with industry standard logic products of the 573 and 574 type, a technology that has long been familiar to design engineers that use standard logic products. Ramtron's versions differentiate themselves by automatically storing the last state prior to power-down, and immediately restoring it upon power-up. In all other respects, the FM573 and FM574 operate like standard CMOS logic.
Since the devices restore their outputs on power-up to the correct state, they can be used in diverse applications where control of a signal should not be lost during a power outage. The products' three primary application categories are: human interface, data capture and controls.
Human interface applications include switch interface, DIP-switch and jumper replacement, tamper protection and security, and LED or lamp drivers. Data capture applications include state machine control, bus capture for system status, and a variety of counting applications. Control applications include relay control, temperature and motion set points, and fan control. Current end-market examples include computers, entertainment equipment, toys, smart homes, and automation gear.
Both devices operate from 2,7 to 5,5 V and are rated over the industrial temperature range. The last state is restored to output pins in 1 µs, and CMOS attributes, such as timing and power consumption, are comparable to the HC logic family, says the manufacturer.
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