White Electronic Designs Corporation has introduced a surface mountable data storage device that is specifically designed for use in the rugged and demanding embedded environments of defense and aerospace applications. The product is available in 1, 2 and 4 GByte densities in a 22mm x 27mm plastic ball grid array (PBGA) package and supports various PATA interface protocols. This product provides highly reliable high-density data storage for embedded computing, such as that used in aircraft, communications and missiles.

Constructed using a 32-bit RISC processor as its core storage controller, this SSD provides all the important Flash management techniques for delivering a highly reliable solution. Incorporated wear leveling and error correction techniques extend disk operating life. The device provides data protection in the event of a sudden unplanned power loss or disturbance and can operate from a single 5-volt or 3.3-volt power supply. Constructed using Single Level Cell (SLC) NAND-based storage technology, it delivers significantly higher performance than the many other embedded form factor SSDs being produced by the general market. SLC Flash-based solutions provide approximately ten times more write/erase cycles than those with Multi Level Cell (MLC) Flash devices, thus resulting in the further extension of disk life performance.

The PBGA package is constructed using eutectic tin-lead solder balls on a 1.27mm pitch with strategically placed signals to extend device life in harsh environments. It supports ATA/PCMCIA 2.1, compact flash 3.0 and 4.0 compliant interfaces. Additionally, the PBGA saves 150mm2 board space compared to an equivalent discrete design.