Samsung, the world's biggest memory chip maker, has announced it is the first brand to start mass-producing 1Tb TLC 9th Gen V-NAND flash chips. TLC refers to Triple Level Cell, and the new chips can store 3-bit data in one cell.
Samsung becomes world's first brand to start mass production of 1Tb 9th Generation V-NAND flash chips
The South Korean firm has developed the world's smallest cell size with minimum mold thickness for its 1Tb 9th Generation V-NAND flash chips. This has increased the bit density by 1.5x compared to the previous generation chips. The cell's surface area has also been reduced through dummy channel hole removal technology. Samsung says its new technology has also improved product quality and reliability. This was done by using cell interference avoidance and cell life extension technologies. These new chips are also the highest single-unit product that can be used in a double-stack structure.
Samsung also uses Channel Hole Etching technology to create electron pathways by stacking mold layers and maximizing fabrication productivity. It enables simultaneous drilling of the industry’s highest cell layer count in a double-stack structure. As the number of cell layers increases in a NAND flash chip, it becomes important to pierce through them. More sophisticated etching techniques are required to achieve that.
This new chip also uses Samsung's next-generation NAND flash interface called Toggle 5.1. It increases the data input/output speeds by 33%, reaching up to 3.2Gbps. Samsung has also added support for the new PCIe 5.0 interface. Samsung has also achieved 10% higher power efficiency with its new chips.
These chips can be used in high-performance SSDs, such as the ones in the Galaxy Book 4 Ultra in our video below. They can also be used in gaming consoles, PCs, servers, and more. Samsung says it will start the mass production of QLC (Quad Level Cell) in the second half of 2024.
SungHoi Hur, Head of Flash Product & Technology of the Memory Business at Samsung Electronics, said, “We are excited to deliver the industry’s first 9th-gen V-NAND, which will bring future applications leaps forward. In order to address the evolving needs for NAND flash solutions, Samsung has pushed the boundaries in cell architecture and operational schemes for our next-generation product. Through our latest V-NAND, Samsung will continue to set the trend for the high-performance, high-density solid-state drive (SSD) market that meets the needs for the coming AI generation.“
