Inventors:
Duane R. Mills - Folsom CA
Brian Lyn Dipert - Sacramento CA
Sachidanandan Sambandan - Folsom CA
Bruce McCormick - Roseville CA
Richard D. Pashley - Roseville CA
Assignee:
Intel Corporation - Santa Clara CA
International Classification:
G06F 1316
G06F 1200
Abstract:
A flash memory chip that can be switched into four different read modes is described. In the first read mode, asynchronous flash mode, the flash memory is read as a standard flash memory where the reading of the contents of a first address must be completed before a second address to be read can be specified. In the second read mode, synchronous flash mode, a clock signal is provided to the flash chip and a series of addresses belonging to a data burst are specified, one address per clock tick. Then, the contents stored at the addresses specified for the burst are output sequentially during subsequent clock ticks in the order in which the addresses were provided. Alternately, if a single address is provided to the flash chip when it is in the synchronous mode, the subsequent addresses for the burst will be generated within the flash chip and the data burst will then be provided as output from the flash chip. In the third read mode, asynchronous DRAM mode, the row and column addresses are strobed into the flash memory using strobe signals. The flash memory then converts the row and column addresses internally into a single address and provides as output the data stored at that single address.