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World’s largest fab starts 56nm NAND flash production at year-end |
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Jan 24, 2007 at 04:14 PM |
 Toshiba and SanDisk have announced that they are preparing to enter volume production of MLC NAND flash devices at the 56nm node in the first quarter of 2007 at Toshiba's Fab3, a 100,000wspm 300mm fab. 8-Gigabit devices will first be offered with the plan to make available 16-Gigabit devices in the second quarter of this year.
"With commencement of the 56nm technology, SanDisk is rolling out its fifth generation of MLC NAND flash memory," said Dr. Randhir Thakur, SanDisk's executive vice president of technology and worldwide operations. "The technology and design advances will help enable SanDisk products to offer approximately twice the improvement in write performance compared to the 70nm generation. We are pleased with the joint development of 56nm advanced technology with Toshiba, and expect it to become a production workhorse in Fab 3 during the second half of this year. We are executing according to plan and continue to make the captive fabs highly cost-effective sources of flash memory for our expanding array of consumer products," he added.
However, the significant news is that via its JV partnership, Flash Alliance, Ltd., the companies expect to initiate production at Fab 4 using the 56nm technology by the end of 2007. Fab 4 is currently under construction and is adjacent to Fab 3, which is one of the largest 300mm fabs in production today and has been noted for achieving one of most aggressive monthly ramp-rates for a 300mm facility to date. Fab 4 has an estimated production capacity (compared to Fab 3 cleanroom size) of approximately 150,000wspm when fully ramped.
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