We detect you are using an unsupported browser. For the best experience, please visit the site using Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. X

Documentation Webinars Product Comparison

Search products, tools, resources and more!

Start typing your search term, your results will display here.

Serial SRAM and Serial NVSRAM

Serial SRAM

Serial SRAM is a stand-alone volatile memory that offers you an easy and inexpensive way to add more RAM to your applications. These 8-pin low-power, high-performance SRAM devices have unlimited endurance and zero write times, making them ideal for applications involving continuous data transfer, buffering, data logging, audio, video, Internet, graphics and other math and data-intensive functions. These devices are available from 64 Kbit up to 1 Mbit in density and support SPI, SDI and SQI™ bus modes.

64 Kbit

256 Kbit

512 Kbit

1 Mbit

Serial NVSRAM

Serial NVSRAM offers nonvolatile RAM storage and is ideal for applications that need to write very often to the memory. This device is significantly lower cost than other nonvolatile RAM devices, and the data is backed using an external battery. This 8-pin, SPI device supports unlimited instantaneous writes to the memory array, making it ideal in applications such as meters, data loggers, data recorders or black boxes. These devices are available in 512 Kbits and 1 Mbit densities.

512 Kbit

1 Mbit

RAM Expansion Options

There have traditionally been two ways to increase an application’s RAM:

Use a larger microcontroller (MCU): this option is less attractive if you must buy a larger, more expensive MCU just to get more RAM
Use external parallel RAM: but parallel RAM uses large packages and typically requires at least 16-20 I/Os

Serial SRAM offers you the flexibility to add RAM to you design without the disadvantages of a large MCU or parallel RAM and uses the simple 4-pin SPI interface. These devices also offer improved performance with the SDI and SQI interface that offers up to a 4x improvement in data rates.

Documentation

Application Notes
Brochures

Application Notes

Title	D/L
AN1245 - Recommended Usage of Microchip SPI Serial SRAM Devices	D/L
AN1269 - Using C30 Compiler to Interface Serial SRAM Devices to dsPIC33F and PIC24F	D/L
AN1277 - Using C32 Compiler to Interface Serial SRAM Devices to PIC32 MCUs	D/L
AN1287 - Using C18/HI-TECH C Compiler to Interface Serial SRAM Devices to PIC16F/PIC18F Microcontrollers	D/L

Brochures

Title	Download
Memory Products Brochure	Download

Webinars

Title
Serial SRAM Overview
Serial SRAM Usage Recommendations

Serial SRAM in 2 Minutes

Short value video explaining what Serial SRAM is and how to use it.

Memory Product Comparison

	Serial EEPROM	Parallel EEPROM	OTP EPROM	Serial Flash	Parallel Flash	Serial SRAM	Serial NVSRAM	Serial EERAM
	Explore Products	Explore Products	Explore Products	Explore Products	Explore Products	Explore Products	Explore Products	Explore Products
Density	128 bit - 4 Mb	64 Kb - 1 Mb	256 Kb - 8 Mb	512 Kb - 64 Mb	1 - 64 Mb	64 Kb - 1 Mb	512 Kb - 1 Mb	4 Kb - 1 Mb
Clock Frequency	0.4 - 20 MHz	70 ns	45 ns	20 - 104 MHz	55-70 ns	16 - 20 MHz	16 - 20 MHz	1 - 66 MHz
Cost/Bit	High	High	High	Low	Low	Medium	Medium	Medium
Read Times	Medium	Fast	Fast	Medium	Fast	Medium	Medium	Medium
Write Times	Medium	Fast	N/A	Medium	Fast	Instantaneous	Instantaneous	Instantaneous
Pin Count	2 to 8 pins	28 and 32 pins	28 to 44 pins	8 pins	32 and 48 pins	8 pins	8 pins	8 pins
Data Retention	200+ Years	10 Years	10 Years	100+ Years	100+ Years	Volatile	20+ Years (with battery)	100+ Years
Typ. Standby Current	1 µA	200 µA	100 µA	~15 µA	~30 µA	~4 µA	~4 µA	~40 µA
Voltage	1.7 V - 5.5V	2.7V, 5V	2.7V, 5V	1.65V - 1.95V, 2.7V - 3.6V, 2.3V - 3.6V	1.65V - 1.95V, 2.7V - 3.6V, 4.5V - 5.5V	1.65V - 1.95V, 2.5V - 5.5V	2.5V - 5.5V	2.7V - 3.6V, 4.5V - 5.5V
Temperature	-55°C to +150°C ¹	-55°C to +125°C	-40°C to +85°C	-40°C to +125°C ¹	-40°C to +85°C	-40°C to +125°C	-40°C to +85°C	-40°C to +125°C ¹

1. Selected densities