July 16, 2012 -- As with most storage technologies, NAND flash vendors are constantly being pushed to reduce cost and increase density. One way the industry has responded is by packing more than one bit in a single flash storage cell. Known as multi-level cell (MLC) memory, this technology allows for a doubling or tripling of the data density with just a small increase in the cost and size of the overall silicon. This increase in density and decrease in cost per bit does come with its own trade-offs, however, which have to be considered within the context of the application.
We'll examine those trade-offs, with an emphasis on how they affect the reliability of storage targeted at industrial, military and avionic applications.
By Charles Cassidy. (Cassidy is Director of the Advanced Products Group of TeleCommunication Systems (TCS) Space & Component Technology Division (SCT).)
This brief introduction has been excerpted from the original copyrighted article.
