Intel and Micron in Mass Production of 34nm NAND Flash

Intel Corporation and Micron Technology Inc. announced mass production of their jointly developed 34nm, 32 gigabit multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory device. Developed and manufactured by the companies’ NAND flash joint venture, IM Flash Technologies (IMFT), the process technology is the most advanced process available on the market and enables the industry’s only monolithic 32 Gb NAND chip that fits into a standard 48-lead thin small-outline package (TSOP). The companies are ahead of schedule with 34nm NAND production, expecting their Lehi facility to have transitioned more than 50 percent of its capacity to 34nm by year’s end.

IM Flash Technologies 300mm semiconductor

manufacturing facility is located
near Salt Lake City, in Lehi, Utah

“We have made great strides in NAND process capability and are now in a leadership role with 34nm production,” said Brian Shirley, vice president of Micron’s Memory Group. “The tiny 34nm, 32 Gb chip enables our customers to easily increase their NAND storage capacity for a number of consumer and computing products.”

“The results from IMFT continue to exceed our expectations,” said Randy Wilhelm, vice president and general manager, Intel NAND Solutions Group. “With such clear leadership in NAND manufacturing, we are able to offer our customers NAND solutions with great value, performance and low power.”

The 34nm, 32 Gb chips are manufactured on 300 mm wafers. Measuring just 172mm², less than the size of a thumbnail, the 34nm, 32 Gb chip will cost-effectively enable high-density solid-state storage in small form factor applications including digital cameras, personal music players and digital camcorders. Additionally, the chip will enable more cost-effective solid-state drives, dramatically increasing their current storage capacity.

The companies also plan to begin sampling lower density multi-level cell (MLC) and single-level cell (SLC) products using the 34nm process technology in early 2009.