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NAND to scale for several years
Mark LaPedus
EE Times
(08/17/2007 9:37 AM EDT)
SAN JOSE, Calif. — NAND flash is projected to scale at least for another five or so years, pushing out the need for next-generation or universal memory technologies, according to an executive from Micron Technology Inc.
Today, NAND flash-memory vendors are talking about developing sub-50-nm devices. In the future, NAND is expected to scale at least to the sub-20-nm range, said Frankie Roohparvar, vice president of NAND development at Micron (Boise, Idaho). Micron is involved in a NAND venture with Intel Corp., dubbed IM Flash Technologies LLC.
Asked when NAND would run out of gas in terms of scaling, Roohparvar said: "I don't see that happening until 2011 or 2012."
For some time, Micron has been shipping a 50-nm NAND part. It has developed a 25-nm device in the lab.
The floating-gate structure is the key component of traditional NOR and NAND devices, but many wonder just how long the technology will scale before running out of gas.
Beyond NAND, there is no clear winner in the universal memory front, he said. Chip makers are devising a dizzying array of next-generation or universal memory technologies, many of which claim to be the successors to DRAM and flash. Among the contenders are the usual suspects: ferroelectric RAMs, magnetic RAMs, phase-change RAMs and other phase-change technologies
Like most vendors, Micron is keeping a close eye on these technologies. "We have them on our radar," he said.
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