Samsung Electronics said that it has commenced the first volume production of 3-bit, multi-level-cell (MLC) NAND flash chips using 30-nanometer (nm)-class process technology.
The company said that the chips will be used in NAND flash modules accompanied by 3-bit NAND controllers to initially produce 8GB microSD cards.
The company claims that the 3-bit MLC NAND increases the efficiency of NAND data storage by 50% over 2-bit MLC NAND chips and provides consumers with NAND-based storage that can be applied to USB flash drives in addition to a range of micro SD cards.
Mass production of 30nm 3-bit NAND is expected to raise the portion of NAND flash memory production devoted to high densities (32Gb and above), designed to accommodate increased video usage. Other NAND advancements, like the introduction of asynchronous double data rate MLC NAND memory are expected to contribute to this trend, Samsung said.
Soo-In Cho, executive vice president and general manager of memory division at Samsung Electronics, said: “Introducing cost-efficient, 30nm-class 3-bit technology widens our NAND memory solution base to make NAND even more enticing for increasingly diverse market applications. Our 3-bit NAND memory will support the development of more cost-competitive, high-density consumer electronics storage solutions.”
