Memory technology in mobile devices-status and trends

Mobile devices like cellular phones are constantly adding more memory capacity and stretching the limits of scaling and miniaturisation. These are demanded by new features and applications that device manufacturers are pushing into their terminals. Solid-state storage memories like NAND Flash which are used widely in portable and removable data storage applications are starting to drive semiconductor technology development. At the same time mobile device memory subsystem requirements for higher performance and capacity and low power in leading edge products are breaking new barriers. This paper will review the technologies and architectures used in cellular mobile terminals today and present future challenges that must be met to continue digital convergence in mobile consumer devices. Features and requirements specific to mobile device memories will be presented in comparison to commodity components used in standard consumer electronics or personal computers.