SVTC Partnered With Start-Up Schiltron

SVTC Technologies, a company providing technology development and commercialization services to global clients, has partnered with startup Schiltron Corporation to produce the smallest silicon-based thin-film transistors ever made, with 48 nm gate length and 35 nm channel thickness.

The revolutionary transistors, manufactured in series strings of up to 64 cells, are designed for use in monolithic three-dimensional (3D) Flash memories – which some consider an evolutionary alternative to traditional NAND Flash memory. NAND Flash memory is commonly used for mass-storage devices such as digital cameras and MP3 players, and can hold a large amount of data whether the device is on or off.

Schiltron, based in Mountain View, CA, uses a double-gate design that provides close electrostatic interactions to control short channel effects – resulting in thinner tunnel oxides, lower erase voltages, and higher endurance than existing nitride-based NAND designs. Schiltron’s technology was initially introduced to engineering audiences in December at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in San Francisco, eliciting positive reviews.

"While NAND Flash will retain its usefulness for many applications, further scaling of this technology results in degradation in performance and reliability characteristics," said Andrew J. Walker, Founder and President of Schiltron. "Our memory design is feasible for the sub-50 nm technology node, and solves the usual critical problems associated with thin film transistors and charge trap flash."

Walker credited SVTC’s product-development expertise for demonstrating that Schiltron’s transistors can be produced cost-effectively with state-of-art CMOS-based tools, processes and materials. "Their advanced equipment and processes, combined with SVTC’s flexibility in their use, were the key drivers for our success," he said.

"SVTC is privileged to work with technology pioneers such as Schiltron, for whom we can apply our advantages of superior cycle time, cost-effective development and faster time to revenue," said Dave Anderson, SVTC’s Vice President of Marketing. "The timely availability of Schiltron’s amazing technology demonstrates that SVTC provides a development environment unique in the world."

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