Samsung Manufacturing 30nm, 3-bit MLC NAND Chips

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. commenced the industry’s first volume production of 3-bit, multi-level-cell (MLC) NAND flash chips using 30-nanometer (nm)-class process technology at the end of November. The chips will be used in NAND flash modules accompanied by exclusive Samsung 3-bit NAND controllers to initially produce eight gigabyte (GB) micro Secure Digital (microSD) cards.

"Introducing cost-efficient, 30nm-class 3-bit technology widens our NAND memory solution base to make NAND even more enticing for increasingly diverse market applications," said Soo-In Cho, executive vice president and general manager of the Memory Division at Samsung Electronics. "Our 3-bit NAND memory will support the development of more cost-competitive, high-density consumer electronics storage solutions," he added.

Three-bit MLC NAND increases the efficiency of NAND data storage by 50 percent over today’s pervasive 2-bit MLC NAND chips. Samsung’s new 30nm-class 3-bit MLC NAND will provide consumers with effective NAND-based storage that can be applied to USB flash drives in addition to a range of micro SD cards.

In 2005, Samsung introduced the first 50nm-class, 16Gb MLC NAND memory device, ushering in an era of unprecedented growth for flash memory beyond the high-performance SLC (single-level-cell) market. Mass production of 30nm 3-bit NAND is expected to significantly raise the portion of NAND flash memory production devoted to high densities (32Gb and above), designed to accommodate increased video usage.