A Continual Leader in Process Innovation
Manufacturing process innovation is at the heart of successful semiconductor companies, and Micron has taken an unprecedented leadership position with its new NAND and DRAM process technologies. Like when we introduced our legendary 6F² design feature size shrink—which was years ahead of competitive technology—we continue to unveil innovations that illustrate the leading technology position we have in the industry.
Best NAND Process, Best DRAM Design
Semiconductor Insights recognized two of our designs with its coveted “Most Innovative” awards in March of 2009. They chose our 50nm DRAM (which uses the smallest cell size to date in a DRAM device) and our 34nm NAND process technology (the first sub-40nm NAND) as two of the most significant advancements in semiconductor technology.
The coveted Insight Awards honor companies who have shaped the semiconductor industry over the past year, through technical achievements and innovations. The program contains four distinct categories and is judged by a panel of leading industry experts and senior analysts from Semiconductor Insights.
Industry-Leading 34nm NAND
Our innovative 34nm NAND technology is the result of continual improvements and innovations over the last several years and has been in mass production since the fall of 2008. It is the smallest NAND production node in the world, keeping Micron well ahead of competitors, and has been the foundation for several key products over the last year:
- Our class-leading 32Gb MLC NAND Flash device measures just 172mm2 and enables designers to easily increase NAND storage capacity for a number of consumer and computing products, such as digital cameras, personal music players, and solid state drives.
- Our 16Gb SLC NAND is built on the same design as the 32Gb MLC, but true to its SLC foundations, it can deliver the ultra-high performance and endurance demanded by enterprise applications and top-end SSDs.
- Measuring an ultra-tiny 84mm2, our 16Gb MLC NAND is the smallest 16Gb in production. This device provides high-capacity storage and pushes performance levels with a high-speed synchronous (ONFI 2.1) interface. It’s a compelling solution for small form factor applications like microSDs that are designed to meet today’s demanding portable storage requirements.
- Following our aggressive roadmap of shrinking process nodes, we also offer a 32Gb 3-bit MLC that’s even smaller and more cost-effective than our leading MLC device. Measuring just 126mm2, it’s suitable for applications like USB drives and MP3 players, where low cost and high density are paramount.
Rapid Advancements in NAND Process Technology
The scanning electron microscope images above illustrate our rapid year-to-year gains in NAND process refinement. In just four years, we’ve significantly outpaced the industry standard.
50nm DDR2 – Best DRAM Design of 2008
After examining our 1Gb, 50nm DDR2 device, SI noted that it features the most advanced DRAM process technology they’d seen. This tiny process geometry produces a 1Gb chip that measures just 41mm²—the smallest DRAM die size currently available on the market.
In their analysis of the part, EE Times echoed SI’s sentiments—noting that our patterning features were pushing the limits of standard dry photolithography. They also said that the design represented an ideal balance between new technology investment and shrewd design decisions, positioning us well in the race toward even smaller chip geometries.
Patent Leadership
For the past several years, Micron has consistently ranked among the top 10 most prolific patent registrants in the United States. But it’s the quality of those patents that really counts, and that’s where we truly excel. In March of 2009 The Patent Board ranked Micron’s patents second among all semiconductor companies. Our score was bolstered by high ratings for science strength and industry impact, which underscores the fact that we continue to build one of the most valuable patent portfolios in the world. It’s this added value that enabled us to maintain our lead over several much larger companies who actually recorded more patents for the year.
Awards for our process advancements are the visible result of years of cumulative R&D work by some of the best scientists and engineers in the industry. These kinds of innovations are our core strengths and continue to move our business toward greater efficiency and put us in a stronger competitive position.