Sandisk Sampling Flash 2nd-Gen 19nm Memory

SanDisk said on Tuesday that it has begun customer sampling flash memory products based on 1Y nm process technology, the second-generation of its 19 nm process tech. Memory cell size is now 19 nm x 19.5 nm, reduced from 19 nm x 26 nm, delivering a 25 percent reduction of the memory cell area.

This is good news for customers and businesses alike, as the second-gen node allows higher capacity products and lower cost manufacturing techniques when creating SanDisk flash memory solutions. Thus consumer and enterprise markets will see more storage and smaller-sized flash memory chips for mobile phones, tablets, Solid State Drives (SSDs).

"SanDisk’s second-generation 19 nm memory die uses the most sophisticated flash memory technology node to-date, including advanced process innovations and cell-design solutions," the company said. "SanDisk's All-Bit-Line (ABL) architecture with proprietary programming algorithms and multi-level data storage management schemes help yield multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory chips that do not sacrifice performance or reliability."

SanDisk also said its three bits per cell X3 technology, implemented in the second-generation 19 nm node, will deliver the lowest-cost flash solutions to address multiple growing end-markets for flash memory.

Earlier this month SanDisk said that it has teamed up with Western Digital to provide its iSSD storage device for the latter company's Black SSHD series of hybrid drives. This integrated 19 nm flash drive promises to bring an "elegant" balance of performance, reliability, and a compact form factor to WD's hybrid solution.

SanDisk's iSSD offers up to 128 GB of capacity, sequential read/write performance up to 450/350 MB/s, random read/write performance up to 9K/1K IOPS, and a typical power consumption of only 55 mW. This chip will be used in the WD hybrid drive for cache only in order to speed up the overall data transfer performance across a SATA 3 (6 Gb/s) connection.