Spansion
Encyclopedia
Spansion Inc. is a Flash memory
chip maker that designs, develops and manufactures NOR flash memory products. The company has over 3,400 employees and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Spansion is a former joint-venture between AMD and Fujitsu
.
Spansion has over 4,500 customers worldwide. Its products are used in the following markets: automotive electronics, PC and peripheral computing equipment, consumer equipment and communication equipment.
-based non-volatile memory IP provider Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. (Nasdaq: SFUN). The companies signed an agreement that consolidated all MirrorBit and NROM IP, design and manufacturing expertise within Spansion. As a result, Spansion expanded IP portfolio and enabled its immediate entry into the technology licensing business.
Saifun Semiconductors was founded in 1996 by Dr. Boaz Eitan in Netanya
, Israel
. As of March 18, 2008, Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. became a subsidiary of Spansion Inc.
Spansion concentrates on the embedded electronics market and portions of the wireless handset market. Its Floating Gate and MirrorBit technology is used to make networking and telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics, gaming equipment, TV set-top control boxes, automotive equipment and personal computer peripherals.
MirrorBit Technology represents nearly one fourth of the entire NOR flash memory market.
The company’s products offer designers the option to choose from 5V, 3V and 1.8V products that range from 1Mb to 2Gb.
Spansion’s standard parallel NOR flash includes Spansion’s MirrorBit NOR GL family of 3V flash memory. The product operates at 3.0 volts (Vcc), feature a random read speed of 90-100 nanoseconds (ns) access and offer a page read speed of 25 ns via an 8-word page buffer.
Spansion’s serial peripheral interface (SPI) devices read information serially, or one bit at a time, requiring fewer connections and pins, allowing for lower costs and simplified board layouts. Serial Flash memory is used in applications such as high-end printers, FPGAs, networking equipment and set-top boxes.
The MirrorBit SPI FL family of serial flash memory: Densities for the MirrorBit SPI Flash memory devices range from 4 Mb to 256 Mb with uniform 64 Kb sectors, and 4 Mb with parameter sectors. The 128 Mb device also features an optional 256 Kb sector architecture.
In August 2011, Spansion also announced that it had created the first single-die, 4-gigabit NOR product implemented at the 65-nm node.
Emergence from Chapter 11
After filing a motion with The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, in April 2010, Spansion won court approval of its plan to exit bankruptcy and was allowed to reorganize the company.
On May 10, 2010, Spansion emerged out of chapter 11 bankruptcy. Its old common stock was previously deemed to be impaired and then cancelled; the company issued new shares to those to whom it owed money. The company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on June 22, 2010 under the ticker symbol “CODE.”
Executive pay controversy
John Kispert was named CEO in February 2009, a month before the company's chapter 11 filing. It was understood that Kispert walked into a "no-win situation
" according to the local media.
With the company in turmoil and needing to reduce expenses, Spansion laid off 3,000 employees without severance pay on February 23, 2009 CEO John Kispert was given a compensation package that could pay a $1.7 million bonus if he successfully found a buyer for the company or liquidated the company within six months, Kispert never saw this bonus since he opted to file bankruptcy in March 2009. Managers received an 11% increase in pay (negating the effect of an earlier 10% salary cut). The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
on March 1, 2009 amidst growing anger among former employees.
In 2010, a settlement was reached on behalf of former employees of Spansion Inc. whose employment was terminated on or around February 23, 2009. Kispert also instituted a policy of offering any new jobs first to the employees who were fired in 2009.
Flash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
chip maker that designs, develops and manufactures NOR flash memory products. The company has over 3,400 employees and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Spansion is a former joint-venture between AMD and Fujitsu
Fujitsu
is a Japanese multinational information technology equipment and services company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is the world's third-largest IT services provider measured by revenues....
.
Spansion has over 4,500 customers worldwide. Its products are used in the following markets: automotive electronics, PC and peripheral computing equipment, consumer equipment and communication equipment.
History
Spansion was founded in 1993 as a joint venture between AMD and Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. Spansion was formerly known as FASL LLC. Once AMD took control of the company in 2003, it was renamed Spansion LLC in June 2004 and officially spun off as an independent maker of flash memory chips in December 2005.Mergers and Acquisitions
In October 2007 Spansion announced that it was acquiring IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
-based non-volatile memory IP provider Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. (Nasdaq: SFUN). The companies signed an agreement that consolidated all MirrorBit and NROM IP, design and manufacturing expertise within Spansion. As a result, Spansion expanded IP portfolio and enabled its immediate entry into the technology licensing business.
Saifun Semiconductors was founded in 1996 by Dr. Boaz Eitan in Netanya
Netanya
Netanya is a city in the Northern Centre District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is located north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north.Its of beaches have made the...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. As of March 18, 2008, Saifun Semiconductors Ltd. became a subsidiary of Spansion Inc.
Products
Spansion's product portfolio offers densities ranging from one-megabit to two-gigabits and an array of interfaces and features. It has developed two Flash memory technologies, single-bit-per-cell floating gate technology and one-, two- or more-bit-per-cell MirrorBit technology, with MirrorBit products based on two-bits per cell and allow offering a range of product configurations. The Company's products are designed for code storage and execution is based on NOR Flash memory architecture and utilize either traditional floating gate technology or its MirrorBit technology.Spansion concentrates on the embedded electronics market and portions of the wireless handset market. Its Floating Gate and MirrorBit technology is used to make networking and telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics, gaming equipment, TV set-top control boxes, automotive equipment and personal computer peripherals.
MirrorBit Technology represents nearly one fourth of the entire NOR flash memory market.
The company’s products offer designers the option to choose from 5V, 3V and 1.8V products that range from 1Mb to 2Gb.
Spansion’s standard parallel NOR flash includes Spansion’s MirrorBit NOR GL family of 3V flash memory. The product operates at 3.0 volts (Vcc), feature a random read speed of 90-100 nanoseconds (ns) access and offer a page read speed of 25 ns via an 8-word page buffer.
Spansion’s serial peripheral interface (SPI) devices read information serially, or one bit at a time, requiring fewer connections and pins, allowing for lower costs and simplified board layouts. Serial Flash memory is used in applications such as high-end printers, FPGAs, networking equipment and set-top boxes.
The MirrorBit SPI FL family of serial flash memory: Densities for the MirrorBit SPI Flash memory devices range from 4 Mb to 256 Mb with uniform 64 Kb sectors, and 4 Mb with parameter sectors. The 128 Mb device also features an optional 256 Kb sector architecture.
In August 2011, Spansion also announced that it had created the first single-die, 4-gigabit NOR product implemented at the 65-nm node.
Financial
At the end of Q2 2010, Spansion reported results for its second fiscal quarter; the company reported both GAAP and non-GAAP results due to the impact of fresh start accounting. On a U.S. GAAP basis, Spansion reported net sales of $255.7 million ($292.7 million on a non-GAAP basis).Emergence from Chapter 11
After filing a motion with The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, in April 2010, Spansion won court approval of its plan to exit bankruptcy and was allowed to reorganize the company.
On May 10, 2010, Spansion emerged out of chapter 11 bankruptcy. Its old common stock was previously deemed to be impaired and then cancelled; the company issued new shares to those to whom it owed money. The company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on June 22, 2010 under the ticker symbol “CODE.”
Executive pay controversy
John Kispert was named CEO in February 2009, a month before the company's chapter 11 filing. It was understood that Kispert walked into a "no-win situation
No-win situation
A no-win situation, also called a "lose-lose" situation, is one where a person has choices, but no choice leads to a net gain. For example, if an executioner offers the condemned the choice of dying by being hanged, shot, or poisoned, since all choices lead to death, the condemned is in a no-win...
" according to the local media.
With the company in turmoil and needing to reduce expenses, Spansion laid off 3,000 employees without severance pay on February 23, 2009 CEO John Kispert was given a compensation package that could pay a $1.7 million bonus if he successfully found a buyer for the company or liquidated the company within six months, Kispert never saw this bonus since he opted to file bankruptcy in March 2009. Managers received an 11% increase in pay (negating the effect of an earlier 10% salary cut). The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most...
on March 1, 2009 amidst growing anger among former employees.
In 2010, a settlement was reached on behalf of former employees of Spansion Inc. whose employment was terminated on or around February 23, 2009. Kispert also instituted a policy of offering any new jobs first to the employees who were fired in 2009.