Chapter 1 – Introduction
Revision 3.1
SanDisk iNAND Product Manual
© 2006 SanDisk Corporation
1-1
12/07/06
1
Introduction
1.1 General
Description
The SanDisk iNAND is a very small, flash storage device, designed specifically for storage
applications that put a premium on small form factor, low power and low cost. Flash is the
ideal storage medium for portable, battery-powered devices. It features low power
consumption and is non-volatile, requiring no power to maintain the stored data. It also has
a wide operating range for temperature, shock and vibration.
iNAND is well-suited to meet the needs of small, low power, electronic devices. With a
form factor measuring 12mm by 18mm by 1.2mm, iNAND is expected to be used in a wide
variety of portable devices like mobile phones, pagers, and voice recorders.
To support this wide range of applications, iNAND is offered with an SD Interface. The SD
interface product is fully compatible with iNAND products, and provides a 4-bit data bus
for maximum performance. For compatibility with existing controllers, the iNAND offers,
in addition to these interfaces, an alternate communication-protocol based on the SPI
standard.
These interfaces allow for easy integration into any design, regardless of which type of
microprocessor is used. All device and interface configuration data (such as maximum
frequency and card identification) are stored on the device.
The SanDisk iNAND provides up to 4 GB of memory for use in mass storage applications.
In addition to the mass-storage-specific flash memory chip, iNAND includes an intelligent
controller, which manages interface protocols, data storage and retrieval, error correction
code (ECC) algorithms, defect handling and diagnostics, power management, wear
leveling, and clock control. Figure 1-1 is a block diagram of the SanDisk iNAND with SD
Interface.
Figure 1-1
SanDisk iNAND Block Diagram
SD Bus/SPI Bus
Interface
Flash
Memory
SanDisk
Single Chip
Controller
Control
Data In/Out
SanDisk iNAND
