New Samsung flash memory allows for 64GB cards
updated 11:15 am EDT, Mon September 11, 2006
Samsung CTP Flash Memory
Flash storage currently lags significantly behind hard disk drives in capacity. This is in large part due to the relatively old foundations of the format. Even today, flash memory uses floating gates first developed in 1989 to control data. This consumes a significant portion of the chip and is unreliable as storage increases. Samsung revealed today that it had introduced a successor technology called Charge Trap Flash (CTP) that literally holds data in a layer of the chip until ready to be used. It allows for much more dense chip designs; in its current form, 40 nanometer processes are possible and drastically outperform the 65 nanometer process we know today. The extra space and reliability allows these CTP flash chips to store dramatically larger amounts of data: Samsung has demonstrated CompactFlash cards capable of storing 64GB, rivaling the 1.8-inch hard drives in many digital audio players. The company has not formally announced products or a timeframe for availability.
