Tokyo - High-end DDR2 memory enters its next generation later this year when memory makers transition to an 80 nm production process and 2 Gbit densities.

Elpida said that it is completed the development process of a 2 Gbit DDR2 SDRAM device and is preparing its production lines for mass production. The new technology will be built in an 80 nm process and applied to DDR2-800 memories that are expected to become available in volume quantities by the fourth quarter of this year.

The company claims that the new memories will provide advantages including higher performance than the modules on the market today. The 2 Gbit devices will also maintain the same operating current as a 1 Gigabit DDR2 SDRAM device therefore, providing double the density without an increase in power requirements. Capacities of the modules are expected to come in at 1 and 2 GByte configurations.

According to Elpida, the advanced 80 nm process technology also allows die to be packaged in 68-ball FBGA packages that can be stacked and mounted on a JEDEC-standard (30 mm height) registered Dual In-Line Memory Module (DIMM) or on a Fully-Buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) at 30.35 mm height. Further down the road, Elpida plans to use stacking techniques to build 4 Gigabyte and 8 Gigabyte density DDR2 modules

Stacked DDR2 memories with up to 8 GByte are already available from Infineon in sample quantities. The modules were shown first in February of this year and are based on Infineon's proprietary "dual-die" technology.

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