Toshiba, SanDisk to build sub-30nm NAND flash in 2010
updated 05:20 pm EDT, Mon September 21, 2009
Toshiba, SanDisk to mass-produce sub-30nm memory
Toshiba and SanDisk will produce 20nm-class NAND flash memory at their joint-venture facility in Yokkaichi, Japan in the second half of 2010, DigiTimes reported on Monday, citing industry sources. The facility will scale up production to about 200,000 wafers per month as a result. Toshiba used the factory to build 3-bit per cell (3bpc) 32nm memory, which were expected to account for 50 percent of capacity by the end of 2009, but the schedule was delayed.
A rival joint venture of Intel and Micron Technology expects to introduce 20nm-based memory technology later in 2009, with mass production of the current 32GB NAND memory using 3bpc 34nm technology on schedule at joint venture factory IM Flash Technologies.
Mass production of the smaller NAND drives is expected to reduce prices of current flash memory products and speed up the gradual replacement of hard disk-based drives.
