Well, it took a week but I made it here. I know RMTR very well since it is local. Their technology is a nit offbeat with many people saying it is unnecessary.
Straight from the Company Profile: Ramtron International Corporation and its subsidiaries (Ramtron) are engaged primarily in the design, development, manufacture and sale of specialty high-performance semiconductor memory devices. Ramtron has two product lines, ferroelectric nonvolatile random access memory (FRAM) products and high-speed DRAM (dynamic random access memory) products called Enhanced-DRAM (EDRAM) products. FRAM provides in a single component the high-speed read/write characteristics and efficiencies of random access memory with the nonvolatile memory storage capability of read only memory. EDRAM combines four-megabit (25 to 35 nanoseconds) and 16-megabit (24 to 35 nanoseconds) DRAMs together with a 10- to 15-nanosecond static RAM (SRAM) and a 2,048-bit-wide integrated DRAM to SRAM interconnecting bus for the EDRAM and a 4,096-bit-wide integrated DRAM to SRAM interconnecting bus for the enhanced synchronous DRAM, all on the same chip.
The above is a great deal to digest. But looking beyond the verbage and double speak, the FRAM never got its due in the mainstream. Ferroelectric random access memories (FRAM) are proprietary high-performance semiconductors that retain information even when power is lost.FRAM has the speed of DRAM and SRAM, and
unlike those memories, it needs no battery power to store data. FRAM is nonvolatile like a ROM (read only) technology.
However, ROM based technologies such as EEPROM and Flash are very slow to write, wear out after being written a small number of times, and use a large amounts of power to write. FRAM writes faster, has higher endurance, and virtually never wears out. In essence, FRAM is a nonvolatile RAM. FRAM's fast write and nonvolatile features allow system designers to combine SRAM and EEPROM into one device, or simply expand SRAM. In many cases, a system uses multiple memory types. FRAM offers the ability to perform ROM, RAM, and EEPROM functions with one device, saving space, power and sometimes cost. The most common example is an embedded microcontroller with external serial EEPROM. FRAM can replace the EEPROM, and offer additional SRAM functionality to the micro as well. End system applications: all-in-one memories tend to occur in portable applications, and in any system using low-end (resource poor) microcontrollers.
FRAM held such great promise but it never seemed to gain momentum over the past few years as other memory devices improved. From the above back data, it would appear this was a winner but we have followed this company for 2 years on the sidelines waiting for some big break in the FRAM implementation.
EDRAM is an up and coming possibility and RMTR may be able to participate in this arena, but they are still a very small player lacking the manufacturing strength to compete effectively in the marketplace. As of now, I am looking at RMTR as a possible takeover candidate once we come out of this current downturn, and nothing more.
The company is not exactly a corporate showcase in Colorado, relative to the surrounding semiconductor companies situated near by but it one of those companies that could surprise us over the next few years. But the bottom line is that why take this type of risk in such an uncertain market environment. there are way too many companies that are not as speculative. I am trying to minimize potential losers and concentrate on companies I feel very confident can deliver gains. After all, I do not want be like our good friend below.
"Mr. Moldofsky's conviction came on the same day that federal securities regulators settled a civil fraud case against Yun Soo Oh Park, a New York burrito vendor-turned-online stock picker better known as "Tokyo Joe." Mr. Park agreed to return about $755,000 in profits for failing to disclose that he sold stocks he was recommending others buy."
The above was in yesterday's news releases, as the LU hoaxster was convicted of fraud, but it did nail the coffin on your good buddy<GGG>.
AV |
