Samsung Chips In for Cheaper Flash Memory

Company is mass producing chips that will offer more storage space in your portable devices, at a lower cost.

Samsung Semiconductor has started mass producing 1 gigabit flash memory chips using a manufacturing process that allows for cheaper and smaller chips, the company said Wednesday.

Samsung is using 0.12 micron technology instead of the older 0.15 micron technology it used before.

Chips made using the new technology are smaller, which improves read speed, and can be produced at a lower cost, Samsung says in a statement.

Memory Goes Mobile

The NAND-type flash memory is used in devices such as digital cameras, handheld computers, and digital music players as well as in memory cards such as Smart Media, Compact Flash, and Secure Digital cards.

The chip is designed to have faster rewrite characteristics and higher storage volume.

Samsung, which is also working on 2 gigabit flash memory, claims it is the first to mass produce 1 gigabit flash memory using 0.12 micron technology.

Its rival Toshiba is using 0.13 micron technology to manufacture 1 gigabit flash memory, while Sharp last year said it expects to release flash chips that can hold 16 gigabits of data manufactured using 0.1 micron technology by 2006.

Would you recommend this story? YES NO

Recommend:
0 Comments

Subscribe to the Bargain Bulletin Newsletter - weekly

See All Newsletters »

Lenovo Laptop Deals

ThinkPad Edge E420 Lenovo Style in an Affordable Package
Buy now direct from Lenovo
ThinkPad X220 Fast and light, with great input ergonomics and battery life, this powerhouse ultraportable is best-of-breed.
Buy now direct from Lenovo
ThinkPad X120e One of the best netbooks ever, X120e has the best netbook keyboard ever--nothing else comes close
Buy now direct from Lenovo

Name	City

Address 1	State	Zip

Address 2	E-mail (optional)