SK's latest NAND is faster and more cost-effective
Published: 7th December 2020 | Source: SK Hynix Press Release | Author: Mark Campbell
SK Hynix reveals their 176-layer 4D NAND Flash, and major NAND performance boosts
The development of SK Hynix's 176-layer 4D NAND flash is complete, resulting in the creation of 512 Gigabit (64GB) TLC 4D NAND flash chips. These chips have already been provided to controller manufacturers, paving the way towards the introduction of this flash into new SSDs and mobile devices.
SK Hynix's 176-layer 4D NAND is an evolution of the company's existing 96-layer NAND flash technology, using Charge Trap Flash (CTF) with Periphery Under Cell (PUC) Technology. Why 4D? SK Hynix' 4th dimension alludes to how the company moved control structured under their 3D NAND stack, decreasing the silicon die space that's needed for their NAND and thus increasing its cost-effectiveness. With their 176-layer NAND, SK Hynix claims to have produced "the industry's best number of chips per wafer", which ensures that their product is extremely cost-effective to produce.
When compared to their prior generation NAND, SK Hynix notes a 20% increase in read speed for cells and data transfer speed improvements of 33%, upping data transfer speeds from 1.2 Gbps to 1.6 Gbps.
SK Hynix has also stated that 1Tb products based on their 176-NAND technology are incoming, which should allow for the creation of some incredible storage-dense products.
With the NAND flash market expecting an average 33.4% annual growth rate over the next four years, flash creators will need to continue evolving their technology to help keep up with the market's growing need for solid state storage. This will be done through increased production efficiency (through the use of improved NAND technology) and increased NAND production.
Next year, SK Hynix plans to launch mobile products which aim to deliver a 70% increase in maximum read speeds and a 35% increased in write speeds. These products are due to be released on mid-2021.
SK Hynix's 176-layer 4D NAND is an evolution of the company's existing 96-layer NAND flash technology, using Charge Trap Flash (CTF) with Periphery Under Cell (PUC) Technology. Why 4D? SK Hynix' 4th dimension alludes to how the company moved control structured under their 3D NAND stack, decreasing the silicon die space that's needed for their NAND and thus increasing its cost-effectiveness. With their 176-layer NAND, SK Hynix claims to have produced "the industry's best number of chips per wafer", which ensures that their product is extremely cost-effective to produce.
When compared to their prior generation NAND, SK Hynix notes a 20% increase in read speed for cells and data transfer speed improvements of 33%, upping data transfer speeds from 1.2 Gbps to 1.6 Gbps.
SK Hynix has also stated that 1Tb products based on their 176-NAND technology are incoming, which should allow for the creation of some incredible storage-dense products.
With the NAND flash market expecting an average 33.4% annual growth rate over the next four years, flash creators will need to continue evolving their technology to help keep up with the market's growing need for solid state storage. This will be done through increased production efficiency (through the use of improved NAND technology) and increased NAND production.
Next year, SK Hynix plans to launch mobile products which aim to deliver a 70% increase in maximum read speeds and a 35% increased in write speeds. These products are due to be released on mid-2021.
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