Hua Hong NEC Completes 0.13-Micron NVM Technology License From Cypress

SHANGHAI, China and SAN JOSE, Calif.- Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY) and Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Co. Ltd (Hua Hong NEC) today announced the successful qualification of Cypress’s 0.13-micron SONOS (Silicon Oxide Nitride Oxide Silicon) embedded nonvolatile memory (NVM) technology at Hua Hong NEC. The technology was originally licensed from Cypress in December 2006.

After 14 months of seamless cooperation between both companies, Hua Hong NEC has completed all new tool installations, process transfer and flash Macro IP verification, achieved high yields comparable to Cypress, and has passed all process qualifications. Multiple products from both Cypress and Hua Hong NEC’s customers have now been taped-out by Hua Hong NEC.

“This successful licensing of 0.13-micron embedded flash technology has put Hua Hong NEC in a leading position in the area of embedded flash/EEPROM, ” said Dr. Leiping Lai, vice president and chief marketing officer at Hua Hong NEC. “This new move further demonstrates our long-term commitment to such a strategically important market.”

“Cypress’s 0.13-micron embedded flash technology is a true flash technology delivering more than 100k cycles of endurance and at least 20 years of data retention at competitive performance and leakage levels,” said Cypress Managing Director, Bo Jin. “The technology provides high reliability, low power and cost-effective solutions with a low mask adder compared to other embedded NVM technologies and most of all, it is scalable.”

“This was a perfectly managed and executed project,” said Hua Hong NEC President and CEO, Dr. Steve Liu. “I’m happy to see this 0.13-micron embedded flash technology extending Hua Hong NEC’s rich technology offering and enhancing its market leadership in embedded NVM.”
“Hua Hong NEC is a well-established leader in the embedded flash/EEPROM foundry market,” said Shahin Sharifzadeh, executive vice president of Worldwide Wafer Manufacturing and president of Cypress China. “This project will help to drive Cypress’s SONOS technology as the predominant solution for a variety of embedded NVM applications.”