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June 1, 1998

Hitachi Releases 10-Mbyte and 20-Mbyte CompactFlash Cards Incorporating 84-Mbit Flash Memory Enhanced 8/10/15/20/30/45-Mbyte CompactFlash Lineup for Data Storage in Digital Still Cameras, etc. -

These two new devices extend Hitachi's CompactFlash lineup to a total of six products, offering 8-, 10-, 15-, 20-, 30-, and 45-Mbyte capacities, that meet a wide range of users' needs as storage media for digital still cameras and similar applications. The card programming speed has also been increased by approximately 50% over previous Hitachi products, to 350 kbytes/second for the 10-Mbyte model and 600 kbytes/second for the 20-Mbyte model.

With the portability provided by its postage-stamp size, low current dissipation that provides extended battery life in portable devices, and high degree of compatibility (card-edge compatibility) with existing systems thanks to the use of the standard bus specifications embodied in the PC-ATA^*2 and True- IDE^*3 interfaces, CF is becoming widely accepted as the mainstream removable storage medium for use in digital still cameras, handheld PCs, and similar portable devices, as well as for moving picture storage in digital camcorders and future multimedia products.

Hitachi is already mass producing the 8-, 15-, 30-, and 45-Mbyte CF cards incorporating Hitachi 64-Mbit AND-type flash memory. While this type of capacity lineup is the norm in the case of expansion memory for personal computers and mainframes, in the case of digital still cameras for example, different users have different ideas about how many photographs the camera should be able to hold, and so a much wider choice of storage capacities is required.

To meet this need, Hitachi has developed the new 84-Mbit flash memory incorporated in these new CF products. One 84-Mbit flash memory is used in the 10-Mbyte model, and two in the 20-Mbyte model. As regards CF cards, meanwhile, the speed that is required depends on the application. In the field of digital still cameras, in particular, a higher CCD^*4 pixel count means a larger quantity of data per photograph, and in some cases the time needed to store an image in flash memory has increased to around ten seconds. There is thus a great demand for higher speed.

The newly developed 84-Mbit flash memory employs a 0.35 micrometer CMOS process, and offers a reduction in write time from the previous 1 ms/ sector to 0.2 ms/sector, enabling the card programming speed to be increased by some 50% compared with previous Hitachi products, to 350 kbytes/second for the 10-Mbyte card and 600 kbytes/second for the 20-Mbyte card. This enables the waiting time to be reduced when taking consecutive shots. Future plans include increasing the speed of 64-Mbit flash memory, and the development of high-speed versions of the 8-, 15-, 30-, and 45-Mbyte CF cards.

Notes:

1.	CompactFlash and CF are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation and are licensed to the CFA (CompactFlash TM Association). Hitachi is a member of the CFA.
2.	PC-ATA: More exactly, the PC card ATA specifications. The ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) specification within the card specifications established by the PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association).
3.	True-IDE: True Integrated Device Electronics
4.	CCD: Charge coupled device

Typical Applications
Digital still cameras, Portable information devices such as handheld PCs, Solid-state recorders, etc.

Prices in Japan

Product Name	Capacity	Sample Price (Yen)
HB286010C4	10 Mbytes	18,000
HB286020C4	20 Mbytes	35,000

Specifications

Item	CompactFlash
Capacity	10 Mbytes	20Mbytes
Operating voltage	3.3 V and 5 V
Reprogramming capability	350 kbytes/sec	600 kbytes/sec
Configuration	84-Mbit AND-type flash memory + controller (H8/300H core microCBIC* single-chip configuration)
Package	CompactFlash Specification 42.8 x 36.4 x 3.3mm 50-pin
Interface specifications	PC Card ATA True IDE Mode

MicroCBIC: Micro Cell based IC

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