Elpida Memory announced that it has begun mass production of
1-Gigabit and 512-Megabit DDR2 SDRAMs using 70-nanometer process technology.
Manufacturing will be done at its main fab facility in Hiroshima, Japan.
The majority of DRAM on the market today is manufactured on
the 90nm process. The move to 70nm process technology enables speed increases
to 800MHz and 1GHz and a reduction in chip size. The move also allows for
incrementally more chips per DRAM wafer which decreases per-unit manufacturing
costs.
A 1-Gb and 512-Mb DDR2 SDRAM using 70nm process technology
can be used in many applications, including high-end servers that need to
process large amounts of data, high-performance mobile equipment, HDTVs, DVD
recorders, DSLR cameras and other digital consumer equipment that must have
advanced image processing capabilities.
Elpida plans to make aggressive use of its new 70nm process
technology in the production of memory for mobile phones and other mobile
equipment and in memory products used in high-end digital consumer equipment
and across the entire server/PC market. Production of DDR2 SDRAM using 70nm
processing has already started and the first product shipments are expected to
begin in the first quarter of 2007.
Elpida is currently also working with NEC and Oki to develop
memory packaging
technology that places eight memory chips and one controller chip in a
vertical stack, with 3D connections between the chips.
In late August, memory competitor Samsung started mass
production of 1-Gb DDR2 DRAM on an 80nm process and in
October announced that it had developed the first 50nm DRAM prototype.
Samsung yesterday showcased the industry's first gigabit mobile DRAM.
