#nand flashing memory

The news on December 30, the South Korean fair play committee represents on Wednesday, has not found NAND flashing memory chip manufacturers of South Korea or other areas have been suspected of being involved in the evidence that prices handle, so may violate the investigations of about 3 years of antimonopoly law and end to NAND trade.

This committee releases the announcement and claims, all is involved the investigation that drove at computer memory chip market prices such as DRAM chip, SRAM chip and NAND flashing memory chip,etc. has already been over. NAND flashing memory chip used as extensively the player of the music and data storage card of the digital camera.

The South Korean fair play committee may be suspected of being involved in prices to handle investigation to NAND flashing memory chip manufacturers while beginning in January of 2007, having investigated four companies together in the world, among them there are two South Korean companies, other two are American and Japanese company respectively. But this committee has not revealed the name of these four companies.

The ones that provided funds fully in Toshiba added the He Toshiba electron to start the first 200mm wafer production line of this company used for power semiconductor formally. The new production line faces the previous process of the power semiconductor. Toshiba, at formal start of production line, can American city hold the starting ceremony in new the intersection of production line and the intersection of stone and the intersection of Sichuan and county that factory building belong to. On the starting ceremony, Toshiba is thick and clever on behalf of executive director's president's west field to go up on the stage to emphasize the importance of this business: "it different from power semiconductor NAND flashing memory products,but based on products " . Think that it is the power semiconductor business of Toshiba to produce collinear start this time " March toward first first step in the world " (west field) . The goal of Toshiba is to become industry first in share of amount of money in 2009. The share of Toshiba is at present " The third " (Toshiba) . The power semiconductor of production of new production line is mainly individual components such as diode and MOSFET,etc.. Toshiba thinks under the push of the low pressure tight power MOSFET, the power semiconductor undertaking will further increase. On the ceremony, former prime minister and Yoshiro Mori strikes a pose on the stage too, has published the congratulatory words.

The business of power semiconductor is a part of the dispersed semi-conductive business of Toshiba semi-conductive company. At present, the dispersed semi-conductive business accounts for 20% of sales amount of the semiconductor of Toshiba, the sales amount in 2006 is about 260 billion Japanese yen ' Fig. 4) . Among them about half the 130 billion Japanese yens come from business of power semiconductor. In addition the dispersed semi-conductive business also includes optical semiconductors,etc. such as semiconductor of the dwarf signal, LED and semiconductor laser,etc..

The apparatus started this time is two major factories of ones of the process before responsible for the power semiconductoring. Another one is the way factory of Toshiba. Factory on the road supports 200mm brilliant round production line to already go into operation at present. Add the He Toshiba electron and mainly produce low pressure tight products, factory on the way and mainly produce the high pressure tight products. In addition, a part in the process before being responsible for of electron of Iwate Toshiba.

The goal is 60,000 of monthly output

In adding the He Toshiba electron, the new production line started this time, for the third production line of the process in front of responsible for the semiconductoring. Start building will it be September 2006, building construction project finish in March of 2007. Later began to install the fabrication facilities, September of 2007 is started formally. November of 2007 of plan begin the supply products. For example, MOSFET,etc. that MOSFET that DC-DC converter circuit which faces notebook computer,etc. uses, lithium ion rechargeable battery are protected and used.

The start this time is only a part in the plan. Present operational capacities is converted according to 200mm wafer, monthly output is about 5000 pieces. Toshiba plans to convert according to 200mm wafer before 2010, brings operational capacities up to 60,000 of monthly output. It invests about 55 billion Japanese yen to add the He Toshiba electron and add up to.

Plan to be divided into three stages on the whole. Up to about 10,000 of monthly output in the first half of 2008 at first, goal of the first stage was 25,000 of monthly output. However, have not announced the second plan after stage. 2- The plans of 3 stages will be judged according to market tendency.

Separate the installation accessory equipment, reduce and install the area

2 storeys of the factory buildings mainly install the fabrication facilities, installation of a storey power supply waits for " accessory " (Fig. 5) . With fabrication facilities and subsidiary equipment installation being here compared with one floor, can save 40% the intersection of installation and area. The cleanliness of the whole factory building is 10,000 grades, the inner cleanliness of fabrication facilities is 10 grades. The air accommodation mode of the dust free room adopts Ball Room way. The number of times is 56 times per hour to take a breath.

Up till now, people have still generally thought only SLC have characteristic and reliability that can meet enterprise's demand, and MLC NAND flashing memory is suitable for consuming the apparatus.

However, Fusion-io plans to put out one kind and known as SMLC (single mode level cell) New for enterprise layer NADN flashing memory,can offer to user but direct insert server, store fast as cost getting lower PCIe solid condition hard disk. Most main storage array manufacturers offer the solid condition STEC of a hard disk to put out one and known as suiting enterprise's applied MLC sample too at present, have offered the capacity up to 800GB to OEM cooperative partner.

The present question is, enterprise's organization hopes how many characteristics are obtained from lower priced solid condition hard disk.

The organization Gartner of market survey studies a director Joseph Unsworth to represent: "It uses MLC chip to reduce preferably method to come down of the cost of the solid condition hard disk of the enterprise layer, its cost is 1/3- 1/2 of SLC. Need to remind quality of it need, can use continuously in the intersection of enterprise layer and the intersection of solid condition and the intersection of hard disk and environment while being kind enough. "

SLC is still higher, more more reliable than MLC writing speed

MLC with lower cost can keep two or three bit in one cell, and its capacity is twice of SLC at least. But because the writing speed is lower and the bit error rate is higher, MLC lacks characteristic and reliability that SLC possesses.

The commonly used in trade loss data SLC are 100000 program/erase, MLC flashing memory is 10000. Have trade report to reveal until flashing memory mention more and more light, data this of MLC reduce to already 10000 following.

Some shortcomings that 160GB and 320GB SMLC ioDrive that Fusion-io planned to be put out in this machine have overcome MLC. This SMLC products have used MLC flashing memory chip, but Fusion-io shows, the writing speed that the more delicate control card offers that it adopts is equivalent to SLC, and serviceability exceeds MLC greatly.

Fusion-io cheif technology officer David Flynn shows, though MLC driver of Fusion-io can be used in enterprises, the latest SMLC driver will offer the third kind of choice besides MLC and SLC to user.

Flynn shows: "Users say, I need the multiple capacity, characteristic and serviceability in this way, but they are unwilling to pay more money for this. At present, they face a difficult choice. Will you buy more expensive SLC on condition that only need very little capacity and only obtain required serviceability? Alternatively, you will buy MLC of bigger capacity to obtain sufficient serviceability - -Though the multiple capacity in this way that you do not need? "

In some respects, Fusion-io treats MLC as treating SLC. SMLC products have adopted the single thread instead of multithread, by promoting serviceability and characteristic level. Fusion-io products marketing senior vice-president Lance Smith points out, SMLC products map the data of a word bit to a word bit of every unit, and MLC maps the data of a plurality of word bit to a unit.

Smith shows: "We have obtained 5 times of serviceability of promotion from MLC. "

Fusion-io SMLC lower writing speed is comparable to their MLC technology. STEC was represented, their OEM users have already represented the interest in SLC/MLC mixed mode, under this kind of mode, a driver may include SLC used for load use, includes in order to keep machine format MLC too.

OEM users of STEC include Dell, EMC, Hewlett-Packard, HDS, IBM, NetApp and Sun. MLC of STEC supports SATA, SAS and optic fibre channel interface the same as SLC. Though STEC has already released MLC products directed against enterprise's users now, the high tube of this company shows, had very great characteristic disparity all the time between MLC and SLC.

Stetzer shows: "Especially people's interest runs high gradually recently. MLC will continue increasing in quantity. Foreseeable future, SLC will continue occupying an leading position. "

Find a position in enterprises for MLC

There is test to that their MLC apparatus starts enterprise's application of user of a Fusion-io at present. The online retailer Wine.com tests 160GB SLC ioDrives of Fusion-io in their ERP database, and tested the intensive trade retailed the application of card in the hard disk of the solid condition was stored last autumn. Wine.com cheif technology officer Geoffrey Smalling represents, their database is too big for SLC products of Fusion-io, so they try to use MLC products of 320GB.

Smalling says frankly, he is very anxious after reading the blog article regarding MLC 10000 load erasing, or serviceability and cycles limit the respect. But he show until Flynn give him explain the intersection of loss and balanced algorithm, the intersection of chip level and getting redundant, error correction and system of them check, he has breathed a sigh of relief greatly.

Smalling shows, it was to hear there is 4GB primitive capacity, in addition there is 80GB idle capacity that can be substituted when the storage block losses in each PCIe card that he had the deepest impression. Fusion-io has also developed a function known as similar RAID of Flashback Redundancy, allow the flashing memory chip to spare in cases the serious chip trouble takes place, prevent losing machine formatly.

If Wine.com hopes to look over the loss state of MLC ioDrives, they can rely on ioManager tool of Fusion-io. Smalling shows, 8 months later, more than 99% of MLC driver capacity of tabular display is still in the user mode.

Though Smalling knows the reading of MLC compares with writing speed SLC is slow, but he thinks 80000 IOPS characteristic that this kind of MLC offers is really " as far apart as heaven and earth " compared with NetApp SAN technology that adopts before them . Have advantage not including the one expectation in addition, they can based on PCIe the intersection of MLC ioDrives and in the server direct connecting to HP ProLiant DL380 G5, because no matter the trusteeship of Wine.com or them is offered the commercial city there is a very abundant SAN professional experience.

Smalling shows: "To me, SLC-MLC is not a question needing worrying about, the question is mostly that the trade is redundant. We dispose RAID on the server, carry on the mirror image to the server. " He still represented, the expectation life cycle in 5 of MLC product exceeded the change cycle of the server of 3 years that he expects.

MLC is a kind of choice, but not the replacement of SLC

Must be in accordance with recombinating economic thinking to treat the prospect of the global IC industry according to the view of ICInsight.

Only IC industry finished the achievement change of most turbulent quarter in history in 12 months. Record-breaking quarter is at the time of low value the most that ICInsight president Bill MaClean points out, IC production reaches as 2008 Q4 and 2009 Q1, following Q2 and Q3 welcome record-breaking most more quick growth quarterly again, so will observe in accordance with the new visual angle to 2010.

The investment in fixed assets of the memorizer will be turned over time in IC Insight is expected in 2010, even so, the price that might not change the memorizer either rises and the products shortage phenomenon happens.

ICInsight points out too NAND flashing memory sales amount increases by 20% during 2009, and expect that will increase by a large margin too in 2010 and 2011. Having risen by 65% when the average sale price ASP of DRAM is in 2009 Q4 than 2009 Q1, it is believed that the future price may rise continuously. Seen from 09 the production of global PC has been just fair in fact for the reason among them, and the production of the mobile phone has also dropped by 5%, and no matter PC, mobile phone estimate production have two growth of figure by 2010, so the price of the memorizer is had in expectancy.

The research company of the market hopes the industry can change more pessimistic view over the past year, and should be full of confidence. ICInsight insist, come, compare, adopt, come, it observes industry to be pieces of kind method relatively year in accordance with quarter.

Point out 2009 Q4 global IC market improves by 47% compared with 2009 Q1, the global IC sales amount will drop according to ICInsight.

The time from December of 2008 to only one year in December of 2009, 180 degrees of great backward shifting has happened to the semi-conductor industry. So must scrutinize industrial future again.