Seoul - Samsung today announced that it has begun mass-producing NAND flash devices with a capacity of 4 Gbit in a 70 nm process. The company said the technology will offer larger memory capacities at lower prices and enable real-time data storage of HD video images.
4 Gbit NAND Flash was introduced by Samsung for the first time back in 2003 as the fifth generation of the technology. While the company already offers 8 Gbit devices, the 70 nm units currently integrate the smallest memory cell size of NAND Flash in the industry (0.025ìm2). According to Samsung, an Argon fluoride photo-lithography light source has been deployed to etch the finer circuitry permitted by the 70 nm process.
The 4 Gbit memories are able to write data at 16 MByte per second, which is about twice the speed of a 90 nm 2Gbit device and enough to allow real-time data storage of high-definition (HD) video images.
Samsung said it manufactures the Flash units in a 300 mm wafer facility with a current capacity of 4000 wafer starts per month. Production will be ramped to about 15,000 wafer starts per month by the end of 2005.
According to data provided by market research firm iSuppli, Samsung already dominates the global NAND Flash market with revenues of about $1.2 billion and a market share of about 58.5 percent in the first quarter of this year.
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