September 28, 2011 — JEDEC Solid State Technology Association released JESD216: Serial Flash Discoverable Parameters (SFDP) for Serial NOR Flash. The SFDP allows serial Flash manufacturers to embed a description of device characteristics inside the Flash chip.
It will make design easier for software engineers, who can easily learn about the functional characteristics and capabilities of SFDP-compliant Flash memory devices. The target applications include mobile phones, HDTVs, set-top boxes, PC/notebook motherboards, or other systems using multiple Serial NOR Flash device types.
JESD216 provides a consistent method of describing the functional and feature capabilities of Serial Flash devices in a standard set of internal parameter tables. These parameter tables can be interrogated by host system software to enable adjustments needed to accommodate divergent features from multiple vendors. SFDP offers more flexibility in vendor selection, reduces engineering resources for firmware upgrades, and shortens the time to bring products to market. SFDP can enhance the Common Flash Interface (CFI) for Parallel Flash.
JEDEC is the leading developer of standards for the microelectronics industry. JESD216 is available for free download at www.jedec.org.
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