Crocus Technology
Encyclopedia
Crocus Technology, founded in 2004, is a venture-capital
-backed semiconductor
startup company developing next generation magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) technology. The company's products originated in a Grenoble
-based Spintec laboratory. They company licenses its technology for both stand alone and embedded chip applications.
in 2004, to research MRAM at the Spintec laboratory.
The company eventually moved its headquarters to Sunnyvale, California
, but retained its engineering base in Grenoble.
chips. The company is also a licensor licensor
of MRAM process and design technology
to fabless semiconductor companies
, wafer foundries, and integrated device manufacturers (IDM’s)
. Target applications include storage, telecommunication
s, mobile devices, and networking
.
Crocus introduced the application of Thermal Assisted Switching (TAS)
to scalable MRAM technology. The technology addresses the problems of write selectivity, power consumption and thermal stability
that other MRAM products face. TAS solves those problems mainly through temperature manipulation of the magnetic susceptibility in the memory cell. The company is working to merge TAS technology with advanced Spin Torque Transfer (STT)
technology for use with advanced feature-size semiconductor processes.
, the company possesses approximately 30 patent
s supporting the product and technology portfolio. Crocus also has a long-term exclusive license to MRAM-related intellectual property developed at Spintec, CNRS, and CEA
.
technology. This technology can be used to make ultra-secure functions such as smart card
s, identity cards, SIM cards, and near-field communications (NFC)
tamper-proof. The technology can operate at very high temperatures, making it useful in automotive and industrial electronics. MLU has the potential to replace a variety of other memory technologies such as SRAM, DRAM, NAND
, NOR
, and OTP.
On May 17, 2011, Crocus announced a joint venture
with Rusnano
, a Russian state-owned
technology investment fund. The new venture, Crocus Nano Electronics (CNE) plans to invest US$125 million to build an advanced MRAM manufacturing plant in Russia
. Additional funding to a projected total of US$300 million will be used to expand capacity of the plant after it begins production.
On June 18, 2009, Crocus Technology announced a partnership
with Tower Semiconductor, Ltd.
, a leading global specialty foundry. As part of the deal, both companies will dedicate special equipment in Tower’s factory, and Tower will fully manufacture Crocus’ MRAM technology in its 200mm Fab2 facility. Tower has also taken a $1.25 million equity
position in Crocus.
On October 6, 2011, Crocus Technology announced that it had signed an agreement with IBM
to co-develop semiconductor technology in MRAM
.
, a Russian government-funded corporation that is aimed at commercializing
developments in nanotechnology
, and CEA Investissement, a company under the CEA
that specializes in seed technology companies.
Other investors include Idinvest Partners, CDC Innovation, Entreprises et Patriomoine, NanoDimension, Sofinnova Partners, Sofinnova Ventures, and Ventech.
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
-backed semiconductor
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
startup company developing next generation magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) technology. The company's products originated in a Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
-based Spintec laboratory. They company licenses its technology for both stand alone and embedded chip applications.
Company History
Crocus Technology was founded in GrenobleGrenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
in 2004, to research MRAM at the Spintec laboratory.
The company eventually moved its headquarters to Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
, but retained its engineering base in Grenoble.
Products and technologies
Crocus Technology is a supplier of semiconductor memorySemiconductor memory
Semiconductor memory is an electronic data storage device, often used as computer memory, implemented on a semiconductor-based integrated circuit. Examples of semiconductor memory include non-volatile memory such as Read-only memory , magnetoresistive random access memory , and flash memory...
chips. The company is also a licensor licensor
License
The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.A license may be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement...
of MRAM process and design technology
Design Technology
Design and Technology is a school subject offered at all levels of primary and secondary school. In some countries such as England it is a part of the National Curriculum. It is offered in many countries around the world such as Brunei, Bermuda, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Jordan...
to fabless semiconductor companies
Fabless semiconductor company
A fabless semiconductor company specializes in the design and sale of hardware devices and semiconductor chips while outsourcing the fabrication or "fab" of the devices to a specialized manufacturer called a semiconductor foundry...
, wafer foundries, and integrated device manufacturers (IDM’s)
Integrated device manufacturer
An integrated device manufacturer is a semiconductor company which designs, manufactures, and sells integrated circuit products. As a classification, IDM is often used to differentiate between a company which handles semiconductor manufacturing in-house, and a fabless semiconductor company, which...
. Target applications include storage, telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s, mobile devices, and networking
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
.
Crocus introduced the application of Thermal Assisted Switching (TAS)
Thermal Assisted Switching
Thermal Assisted Switching, or TAS, is one of the new 2nd generation approaches to MRAM currently being developed. A few different designs have been proposed, but all rely on the idea of reducing the required switching fields by heating...
to scalable MRAM technology. The technology addresses the problems of write selectivity, power consumption and thermal stability
Thermal stability
Thermal stability is the stability of a molecule at high temperatures; i.e. a molecule with more stability has more resistance to decomposition at high temperatures....
that other MRAM products face. TAS solves those problems mainly through temperature manipulation of the magnetic susceptibility in the memory cell. The company is working to merge TAS technology with advanced Spin Torque Transfer (STT)
Spin Torque Transfer
Spin-transfer torque is an effect in which the orientation of a magnetic layer in a tunnel magnetoresistance or spin valve can be modified using a spin-polarized current....
technology for use with advanced feature-size semiconductor processes.
Patents
In intellectual propertyIntellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
, the company possesses approximately 30 patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s supporting the product and technology portfolio. Crocus also has a long-term exclusive license to MRAM-related intellectual property developed at Spintec, CNRS, and CEA
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique
The Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives or CEA, is a French “public establishment related to industrial and commercial activities” whose mission is to develop all applications of nuclear power, both civilian and military...
.
Joint ventures
On June 22, 2011, Crocus announced a new technology called Magnetic-Logic Unit (MLU) architecture, built on their existing Thermal Assisted Switching (TAS)Thermal Assisted Switching
Thermal Assisted Switching, or TAS, is one of the new 2nd generation approaches to MRAM currently being developed. A few different designs have been proposed, but all rely on the idea of reducing the required switching fields by heating...
technology. This technology can be used to make ultra-secure functions such as smart card
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
s, identity cards, SIM cards, and near-field communications (NFC)
Near Field Communication
Near field communication, or NFC, allows for simplified transactions, data exchange, and wireless connections between two devices in proximity to each other, usually by no more than a few centimeters. It is expected to become a widely used system for making payments by smartphone in the United States...
tamper-proof. The technology can operate at very high temperatures, making it useful in automotive and industrial electronics. MLU has the potential to replace a variety of other memory technologies such as SRAM, DRAM, NAND
NAND gate
The Negated AND, NO AND or NAND gate is the opposite of the digital AND gate, and behaves in a manner that corresponds to the opposite of AND gate, as shown in the truth table on the right. A LOW output results only if both the inputs to the gate are HIGH...
, NOR
Logical NOR
In boolean logic, logical nor or joint denial is a truth-functional operator which produces a result that is the negation of logical or. That is, a sentence of the form is true precisely when neither p nor q is true—i.e. when both of p and q are false...
, and OTP.
On May 17, 2011, Crocus announced a joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
with Rusnano
Russian Nanotechnology Corporation
Rusnano is a joint-stock company created and owned by the government of Russia and aimed at commercializing developments in nanotechnology...
, a Russian state-owned
State ownership
State ownership, also called public ownership, government ownership or state property, are property interests that are vested in the state, rather than an individual or communities....
technology investment fund. The new venture, Crocus Nano Electronics (CNE) plans to invest US$125 million to build an advanced MRAM manufacturing plant in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Additional funding to a projected total of US$300 million will be used to expand capacity of the plant after it begins production.
On June 18, 2009, Crocus Technology announced a partnership
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
with Tower Semiconductor, Ltd.
Tower Semiconductor
Tower Semiconductor Ltd. , global specialty foundry leader and its fully owned U.S. subsidiary Jazz Semiconductor, operate collectively under the brand name TowerJazz, manufacturing integrated circuits with geometries ranging from 1.0 to 0.13-micron...
, a leading global specialty foundry. As part of the deal, both companies will dedicate special equipment in Tower’s factory, and Tower will fully manufacture Crocus’ MRAM technology in its 200mm Fab2 facility. Tower has also taken a $1.25 million equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
position in Crocus.
On October 6, 2011, Crocus Technology announced that it had signed an agreement with IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
to co-develop semiconductor technology in MRAM
MRAM
Magnetoresistive Random-Access Memory is a non-volatile computer memory technology that has been under development since the 1990s. Continued increases in density of existing memory technologies – notably flash RAM and DRAM – kept it in a niche role in the market, but its proponents...
.
Investors
Major investors include RusnanoRussian Nanotechnology Corporation
Rusnano is a joint-stock company created and owned by the government of Russia and aimed at commercializing developments in nanotechnology...
, a Russian government-funded corporation that is aimed at commercializing
Commercialization
Commercialization is the process or cycle of introducing a new product or production method into the market. The actual launch of a new product is the final stage of new product development, and the one where the most money will have to be spent for advertising, sales promotion, and other marketing...
developments in nanotechnology
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres...
, and CEA Investissement, a company under the CEA
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique
The Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives or CEA, is a French “public establishment related to industrial and commercial activities” whose mission is to develop all applications of nuclear power, both civilian and military...
that specializes in seed technology companies.
Other investors include Idinvest Partners, CDC Innovation, Entreprises et Patriomoine, NanoDimension, Sofinnova Partners, Sofinnova Ventures, and Ventech.