Samsung starts 1Gbit DDR2 memory chip production

Samsung today announced that it has begun mass producing a monolithic 1 Gigabit (Gb) DRAM chip using more operationally efficient and performance-enhancing 90 nanometer (nm) processing.

Samsung expects the 90nm 1Gb DRAM to become the leading memory product over the next two years. It has lower power consumption, is much less prone to overheating, provides much greater signal integrity and delivers the best overall performance of any DRAM chip today.

"By rapidly moving to 90nm production technology in the production of 1Gb main memory, we are leading the way in attaining the highest density modules afforded by smaller geometries and accompanying manufacturing refinements," said Jon Kang, senior vice president, technical marketing, Samsung Semiconductor Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Samsung Electronics.

The 1Gb DRAM is a rapidly growing part of Samsung's memory business, both in DDR1 and DDR2 memory chips. By the fourth quarter of this year, the company will be ramping monthly production of 1Gb DRAM using the 90nm process.

Last month, the Samsung 90nm 1Gb DDR2 400/533 DRAM chip passed Intel Corporation's supplier component validation testing, after completing the company's own component qualification process.

Further increasing its economies of scale, Samsung has integrated its 90nm processes to allow the use of a "combo die" methodology for varying production levels of 1Gb DDR1 and 1Gb DDR2 by changing masks. Samsung will manufacture high-density modules with x4, x8 and x16 versions of the new 90nm 1Gb monolithic device for the server market to take full advantage of 64-bit computing environments.

According to market analyst firm Dataquest, the 1Gb DRAM market will grow rapidly, from $1.3 billion in 2005 to $17 billion by 2008 at a CAGR of 105 percent.