SK Hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chip provider, announced on Monday that it has completed development of the third generation of double-data rate 4 DRAM with the industry’s highest density and power efficiency with a plan to start mass production next year.

The South Korean chipmaker has developed a 16-Gigabit DDR4 on 10-nanometer technology process, known as 1Znm, whose productivity has improved from the previous 1Y-nm generation by 27 per cent.

Considering that the 16 Gb DRAM is the industry’s highest density for a single chip, the total memory capacity per wafer marks the largest among existing DRAM products, according to the company.

SK hynix successfully completed the development without the expensive extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, which raised the competitiveness of the most sophisticated memory product cost-wise, it underlined.

The new 1Z-nm DRAM supports a data transfer rate of up to 3,200 Mbps featuring the highest speed for data processing in DDR4 interface, while reducing power consumption by 40 per cent compared to modules of the same density made with 1Y-nm 8 Gb DRAM.

For the third-generation DDR4, SK hynix applied a new substance to maximise the capacitance of the product. Capacitance refers to the amount of electrical charge a capacitor can store, which is a key element of DRAM operation.

The chipmaker is preparing for mass production of the 1Z-nm DDR4 by the end of the year and start full-scale delivery next year, it said.

“The 1Z-nm DDR4 DRAM boasts the industry’s highest density, speed, and power efficiency, making it the best product to meet the changing demands of customers seeking high-performance, high-density DRAM,” said Lee Jung-hoon, head of 1Z TF of DRAM development at SK hynix.

The company plans to expand the 1Znm technology process to a variety of next-generation applications, such as Low-Power DDR5 and High-Bandwidth Memory 3.

THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK