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Copilot AI commented Oct 30, 2025

Addresses issue requesting coverage of NAND vs NOR flash memory. Provides technical comparison documentation and reference controller implementations.

Documentation (Misc/Flash-Memory/README.md)

Comprehensive comparison covering:

  • Architecture: Cell structure (parallel vs series), memory organization (random vs page-based)
  • Performance: Read/write/erase speeds, access patterns, throughput characteristics
  • Economics: Cost per bit (4x difference), density (up to several TB NAND vs 256Mb NOR), power consumption
  • Reliability: Endurance cycles by cell type (SLC/MLC/TLC/QLC), ECC requirements, bad block handling
  • Use cases: Code execution (NOR) vs mass storage (NAND), with specific application examples
  • Implementation: Interface signals, command sequences, timing requirements

Key comparison table:

Feature NOR Flash NAND Flash
Read Speed 5-50 ns 25 μs per page
Write Speed 5-10 μs/byte 200-700 μs/page
Interface Memory-mapped Command/address/data mux
Execute-in-Place Yes No
Cost per Bit Higher 3-4x cheaper

Controller Implementations

NOR Flash Controller (nor_flash_controller.v):

  • Memory-mapped interface with random byte access
  • 6-state FSM handling read/write/erase operations
  • Bidirectional data bus with proper tristate control

NAND Flash Controller (nand_flash_controller.v):

  • Page-based sequential access with 5-cycle addressing
  • 17-state FSM for complete operation sequences
  • Status register capture with proper signal stabilization timing
// NOR: Direct memory-mapped access
input [ADDR_WIDTH-1:0] cpu_addr;
inout [DATA_WIDTH-1:0] flash_data;
output flash_oe_n, flash_we_n;  // Simple parallel interface

// NAND: Multiplexed command/address/data
inout [7:0] flash_io;
output flash_cle, flash_ale;    // Latch enables for protocol

Both controllers use industry-standard command sequences and are parameterized for flexibility.

Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>NAND vs. NOR flash memory</issue_title>
<issue_description></issue_description>

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Copilot AI and others added 3 commits October 30, 2025 03:07
Co-authored-by: ewdlop <25368970+ewdlop@users.noreply.github.com>
…egister handling

Co-authored-by: ewdlop <25368970+ewdlop@users.noreply.github.com>
…iming for status read

Co-authored-by: ewdlop <25368970+ewdlop@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Add comparison of NAND and NOR flash memory Add NAND vs NOR flash memory documentation and Verilog controller implementations Oct 30, 2025
Copilot AI requested a review from ewdlop October 30, 2025 03:16
Copilot finished work on behalf of ewdlop October 30, 2025 03:16
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NAND vs. NOR flash memory

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