| Compact Flash card (CF) is a type of a data storage | | | | non-volatile and solid state, can be electrically erased |
| device, especially useful for portable electronic devices. | | | | and rewritten. Flash memory allows multiple memory |
| It can be used directly in a CF card slot with an | | | | locations to be erased or written in one programming |
| adapter. It makes use of flash memory. Based on | | | | operation. It can thus operate at much higher |
| physical features, there are two types of Flashcards: | | | | read-access speeds. Better shock resistance than |
| Type I (3.3mm thick) and the thicker Type II (CF2) | | | | hard disks is another of its useful feature. Features as |
| cards (5mm thick). | | | | these make these cards much more preferable over |
| First produced by SanDisk in 1994, Compact Flash | | | | the others such as battery-powered devices. |
| card is among the first and the oldest and also the | | | | A limitation of this card is that being easily rewritable |
| most successful brands and is now used for a variety | | | | memory, it can be overwritten without warning leading |
| of devices which includes laptops, portable audio | | | | to loss of data. System failure, power fluctuations, |
| recorders and desktop computers and cameras. | | | | corruption caused by hardware crash or software |
| Flash memory devices consume very less power and | | | | malfunctions are the other limitations. |
| yet have good transfer speeds. They can also be | | | | Flash memory stores one bit of information in an array |
| switched from one system to another. They are also | | | | of transistors, called 'cells'. Compact Flash cards are |
| designed to adjust to very rapid changes in | | | | built on the basis of the type of logic gate used in each |
| temperature or in voltage. The storage capacity of a | | | | storage cell and are thus of two types: NOR flash and |
| Compact Flash card ranges from 128 MB to about 64 | | | | NAND flash. Recently however, some flash memory |
| GB. However, 256 MB and 2 GB are the most popular | | | | devices called multi-level cell devices, can store more |
| choices in Europe. | | | | than one bit per cell. NOR flash cell has two gates: the |
| Flash memory has a specific quality which allows a | | | | Control Gate and the Floating Gate. NAND Flash has a |
| section of its memory cells to get erased in a single | | | | different mechanism: tunnel injection for writing and |
| 'flash', very much reminiscent of a camera flash | | | | tunnel release for erasing. |
| function. This reminds one of the ease with which | | | | The market demand today is tilting towards the |
| erasure of data can be carried out, freeing space for | | | | lower-priced NAND flash. |
| recording new data onto it. Flash memory being | | | | |