From ROM to Flash for added flexibility
Furthermore, Mask ROM technology does no longer meet market requirements with regards to increasingly differentiated smart card functionalities. On the other hand, Flash products offer a shorter time-to-market by avoiding process time in the semiconductor production. In addition Flash products allow product customization to happen at a later stage in the value chain, i.e. card manufacturers can decide prior to shipment of the card which operating system and application code to be programmed into the Flash devices depending on the project and market requirements. This offers a significant higher flexibility compared to ROM mask products, whereas typically each project requires a specific mask and the total production process down to the semiconductor fabric needs to be carefully planned.
Read the full article on page 31 of our February digital edition.
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