14 DAY TRIAL // Intel and Micron announced earlier today that the two companies have started mass production of 64Gb NAND memory chips built using the 20nm node which will be used in Solid State Drives, tablets, smartphones, and other devices.
The chips, which entered test production in April of this year, are built BY IMFT (Intel Micron Flash Technologies) in their fab in Lehi, Utah and measure 118mm2.
IMFT is currently fabricating these devices using High-k Metal Gate (HKMG) technology to reduce gate leakage, while they also employ a planar cell structure to deliver performance and reliability (3-5K write cycling) on par with the previous 25nm generation.
“As portable devices get smaller and sleeker, and server demands increase, our customers look to Micron for innovative new storage technologies and system solutions that meet these challenges,” said Glen Hawk, vice president of Micron's NAND Solutions Group.
“Our collaboration with Intel continues to deliver leading NAND technologies and expertise that are critical to building those systems.”
According to DigiTimes, Intel is planning to introduce 20nm memory in their SSDs, most probably the 64Gb chips that entered volume production today, within 2 to 3 quarters from now.
In addition to the Utah plant, production of NAND memory devices based on the 20nm node is also expected to start at Intel Micron Flash Singapore (IMFS) fab which will transition to this new technology in late 2012.
The move to this new node should enable IMFT to significantly increase NAND production in its fabs which will lead to lower production costs and, in turn, to lower prices for consumers.
In related news, Intel and Micron announced earlier today that the two companies have started testing production of a new 128Gb NAND chip, built using the same 20nm node, that is ONFI 3.0 compliant and can achieve speeds of up to 333 MT/s.