Intel and Micron have jointly developed the first 128GB multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash device using 20-nanometer NAND process technology. IM Flash Technologies, an Intel and Micron joint development venture, has also begun mass production of a 20nm 64GB NAND device.
Eight of the new 128GB storage modules can fit into a fingertip-sized package (pictured) that can store up to a terabyte of data, according to Intel and Micron. The two companies said such packages will be used in tablets, smartphones, solid state drives (SSDs), and other high-performance compute devices.
The 128GB NAND flash parts make use of a new planar cell structure to get around standard floating gate scaling constraints in NAND process technology, the companies said. The devices are the first in the industry to integrate a Hi-K metal gate stack, which enables more aggressive cell scaling than older architectures.
The 128GB devices can achieve transfer speeds of 333 megatransfers per second (MT/s), meeting the high-speed ONFI 3.0 specification. Intel and Micron said to samples of the new NAND flash parts would be available in January, with volume production set to ramp in the first half of 2012.
