Samsung produces the first DDR2 NAND flash chip

MEMORY MAKER Samsung has started production of the first 64Gb multi-level-cell (MLC) NAND flash chips.

Samsung's 64Gb MLC flash chips, which are pitched at smartphones, tablets and solid state drives (SSDs), has a toggle double data rate 2 (DDR2) interface. DDR2 might have been left behind by AMD and Intel, but Samsung said the interface will "better support the ongoing shift toward advanced interfaces" such as SATA3 and USB3.

Samsung said that it managed to reach 64Gb density through the use of "advanced 20nm class process technology", but unlike its rivals, it wouldn't divulge the exact process node it was using. All Samsung would say is that it fabs its 64Gb MLC NAND flash chips at a process node between 20nm and 29nm.

Wanhoon Hong, EVP of memory sales and marketing at Samsung Electronics said, "With this 20nm-class, 64Gb, toggle DDR 2.0 NAND, Samsung is leading the market, which is evolving to fourth-generation smartphones and SATA 6Gbps SSDs." Hong has history on his side to back up his claim that Samsung is a market leader. The outfit was the first to produce 32Gb NAND flash that supported the DDR1 interface back in 2009.

While Samsung was the first to produce a working DDR1 32Gb flash module in 2009, the unit went into mass production in April 2010. So that means it'll be a few months yet before manufacturers can get their hands on Samsung's latest and greatest flash chips.

The majority of NAND flash chips in use support 40Mbit/s single data rate interfaces. So even when Samsung does put its 64Gb DDR2 flash chips into mass production, don't expect these chips to appear in anything but the most expensive SSDs or smartphones and tablets for a while. µ