An Introduction to: Form Factors and Governing Bodies

Flash memory systems are available in many different form factors. Each form factor has specific mechanical characteristics and a logical host interface. The choice of form factor is driven by these, and generally driven by the system level. The host must accommodate the interface, and the system level design must be designed for the form factor. Also, to be considered alongside the NAND flash memory types are other characteristics, such as, performance, endurance, reliability, End-of-Life, temperature, cost, and flash type.

A lot of those characteristics are driven by the NAND flash memory controller. It is a major contributing factor, and it needs to be chosen wisely according to the system requirements. For example, industrial requirements are very different from commercial applications. Many alternatives for storage systems and their controllers exist in terms of interface options, form factors and quality levels. If the storage system is vital for your application and holds sensitive data, or if failure would result in costly down-time, you need to choose your controller carefully – know your requirements.