The Winbond W25Q16 16-megabit SpiFlash Memory is the first in a family of high-performance memories ranging from 8 to 64 megabits, and features single, dual and quad I/Os in space- and cost-saving 8-pin packaging. The W25Q16’s Quad-SPI architecture allows for greater than six times the performance of the current generation of Serial Flash memories and offers a true code-execution (XIP) alternative to parallel-NOR Flash.Serial Flash offers many benefits over Parallel Flash memories including: reduced controller pin count, smaller and simpler PCBs, reduced switching noise, less power consumption, and lower system cost.
The Winbond W25Q16 is also the first Serial Flash memory to offer erase-suspend/-resume capability, commonly found in parallel Flash memories and necessary for interrupt-driven systems that must temporally halt an erase operation to read from Flash memory. Security is also enhanced with lock-down and one-time-programmable (OTP) write protection, and a 64-bit unique identification number that can be used as a seed for copy-protection schemes.
