Toshiba, SanDisk to enable 8-Gbit of storage on a chip

The technology claims to enable 1-gigabyte of data storage capacity on a single chip. The new chip was reported at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) here.

Based on a 90-nm process, the new NAND flash memory utilizes multi-level cell (MLC) technology, which allows two bits of data to be stored in one memory cell. At 146-mm², the 8-Gbit chip has an areal density of 6 billion bits or 3 billion transistors per square centimeter.

Performance is maximized by adoption of fast writing circuit techniques, which reduce data write times and support a fast write speed of 6-megabytes per second, according to Toshiba and SanDisk. Read speed is 60-MB per second, which is 40 percent faster than previous generation devices.

Toshiba and SanDisk plan to start production of this device by this summer. The companies also plan to commercialize a 16-Gbit NAND flash memory IC that stacks two of the 8-Gbit NAND flash memories in a single package.