SK hynix 238 introduces 3D layer for faster, cheaper SSD drives – Computer – News

Memory manufacturer SK hynix has developed a 3D Nand memory with 238 layers, the largest number of layers in the industry. These chips will be the first to be used in desktop solid state drives. Mass production will start in the first half of next year.

The nand memory with layer 238 is tlc nand and it should be Current nand generation with 176 layers tracking, SK hynix writes. The South Korean manufacturer presents the new type of memory in the form of 512 gigabyte chips, each with a capacity of 64 gigabytes. Over time, this density should double to 1 TB or 128 GB per chip.

According to the manufacturer, the speed is 50 percent faster than the previous generation of nandflash, with transfer speeds of 2.4 Gbit/s per chip. Power consumption when performing reading tasks was also reduced by 21 percent. Moreover, with the step to 238 layers, the die size of tlc nand chips decreases, which means SK hynix can extract more memory from a chip. This should ensure, among other things, low production costs.

The manufacturer calls this memory “4d-nand,” a marketing name the company has been using since 2018 to designate the memory with a chargetrapflash design or a ctf design and a semi-cell layout. in ctf These charges are stored in an insulator. Traditionally, nand chips have been produced with floating gate designs, in which electrical charges are stored in a conductor. The ctf approach should avoid overlapping memory cells to improve performance. Bee ocean under the cell had become Peripheral circles They are placed directly below the memory cell. These circuits are usually next to the memory cell. According to SK hynix, this improves production efficiency and intensity.

SK hynix will start mass production of its 238-layer nand memory in the first half of 2023. The chips are mainly used in client solid-state drives for PCs and laptops. Server SSDs and storage chips for smartphones will follow later. A 238-layer 1Tbit chipset will also follow in 2023, but a more realistic launch period has not been set.

Source: SK hynix