31.2.7 Flash Retention and Endurance

Flash panels have retention and endurance values native to the process technology in which they are designed. Two mechanisms exist to increase the endurance of a panel while maintaining retention: ECC and Pre-Program. ECC masks native error rates by detection and correction. Since the ECC can correct one error per Flash Word it can double the endurance of a panel. When enabled, the ECC adds to the Flash read access time to perform the correction calculation. Pre-Program reduces stress when programming bit cells thereby doubling endurance. Pre-Program adds about 20 percent to the Flash programming time. Using both ECC and Pre-Program can significantly increase endurance. For additional information, refer to the Table   1 in the Electrical Specifications section.