ST voltage level translator, first to support newest ST 3.0 standard

According to the semiconductor specialist, the increase in storage capacity and access speed of SD 3.0, along with the low static power consumption and small package size, means the translator is suitable for interfacing application processors or digital basebands to SD memory cards in a range of consumer devices. Typical applications include mobile phones, portable media players, tablets, digital cameras or personal navigation devices. The SD 3.0 specification provides up to 2terabytes of storage capacity and accelerates SD interface read/write speeds up to 50megabytes per second, at 50MHz DDR. ST says its voltage level translator is the first device on the market to support the new standard. The ST6G3244 couples high speed operation with low power dissipation, supported with the Power Down mode. Data integrity is secured through balanced propagation delays and electromagnetic interference filters and signal conditioning. Recommended for portable devices that connect directly to the external memory card, ST's voltage level translator incorporates 15kV air gap electrostatic discharge protection on the card side. ST's selectable supply (1.8 or 2.9V), 6bit bi-directional cmos level translator for SD, mini SD and micro SD memory cards is offered in a BGA25 package. According to the company, this reduces board area by more than 50% over current generation devices (ST6G3238). It is backward pin to pin compatible with most existing SD 2.0 products.