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iPod, iPhone, MacBook bound? Samsung to begin production of new 128GB NAND flash memory in 2009

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - 02:59 PM EST

Samsung has announced that it has developed the world‘s first 64Gb multi level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory chip – using 30nm process technology. The flash memory device represents a major leap forward in the move to higher density flash storage solutions at a time of exploding demand for flash as the main storage medium in computing and other digital applications.

The flash devices can be combined to make a 128GB memory card that can store 80 DVD resolution movies or 32,000 MP3 music files.

The 30nm 64Gb NAND flash marks the eighth consecutive year that the density of memory has doubled and the seventh straight year that the nanometer scale has improved for NAND flash since the 100nm 1Gb NAND chip was developed in 2001.

The new flash device was successfully developed through the use of a new manufacturing process called self-aligned double patterning technology (SaDPT). In SaDPT, the 1st pattern transfer is a wider-spaced circuit design of the target process technology, while the 2nd pattern transfer fills in the spaced area with a more closely designed pattern. (Refer to image)

SaDPT represents a pivotal advancement beyond the charge trap flash (CTF) technology that Samsung developed for NAND flash last year when it introduced a new material (silicon nitride) and a new structural configuration. SaDPT resolves a critical bottleneck to forming sub-30nm circuitry by expanding the role that conventional lithography technology plays in the manufacturing process. Both Samsung’s CTF-based NAND flash technology and SaDPT are expected to provide improvements in cost efficiency for next-generation nanometer-scale designs.

Samsung’s SaDPT will employ existing photolithography equipment in 30nm-class production, which is expected to be commercialized beginning in 2009. By utilizing conventional photolithography equipment, Samsung can not only significantly speed up the process but also improve the cost efficiency of its manufacturing operations without additional facility investment. Samsung has applied for 30 patents in connection with its new 64Gb flash device.

Samsung also has developed a 32Gb single level cell (SLC) NAND flash chip based on the same technology applied to its 64Gb chip. Samsung’s continued success in introducing higher density NAND flash will intensify demand for solid state drives in notebooks, and for other NAND-based storage devices in applications such as digital camcorders and enterprise servers.

Samsung expects to begin production of 30nm 64Gb flash devices in 2009. According to Gartner Dataquest, the accumulated sales for 64Gb NAND flash and higher density devices could reach up to $20 billion in just three years (2009~2011).

Source: Samsung.

David Zeiler blogs for The Baltimore Sun, "While it won’t be available until 2009, Korean electronics company Samsung unveiled a new type of flash memory chip that it says will enable the manufacture of 128-gigabyte memory cards. Oh, what Apple could do with a 128 GB flash card."

"The availability of even 64 or 32 GB flash memory would invigorate the entire iPod product line. A 128 GB Nano would almost certainly kill the iPod Classic. And the introduction of higher-capacity iPhones would help keep that product moving off the shelves," Zeiler writes.

"But it’s not just iPods and iPhones that would benefit from beefier sizes of flash memory. Apple and other PC makers would love to replace the hard drives in their laptops with flash memory to help stretch battery life and provide a hardier storage mechanism less prone to damage if the device is accidentally dropped. Apple is supposedly planning to include flash memory in future Mac laptops to enable much faster startup times," Zeiler writes.

Full article here.

"Apple’s primary suppliers of NAND flash historically have been Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (which has been the dominant seller), Japan’s Toshiba Corp. and Korea’s Hynix Semiconductor Inc. Micron is last in share position as a supplier to Apple for NAND flash, and only began shipping small quantities during the last year. While this is a major win for Micron, Samsung remains the world’s largest maker of NAND-type flash and is likely to continue to be used as a supplier by Apple," iSuppli reports.

Full article here.