경기도 이천시 SK하이닉스 본사 (사진=SK하이닉스)

 

[Alpha Biz=(Chicago) Reporter Paul Lee] Samsung Electronics is the first in the industry to mass-produce DRAM semiconductors with a circuit width of 12nm.

As it began mass production five months after its success in development in December last year, it entered '12 Nano University', one step ahead of its competitors such as SK Hynix.

Competitors have already completed the development of 12 Nano University DRAM technology or are pursuing Samsung Electronics by investing in the next generation DRAM.

Samsung Electronics made an announcement on the 18th that it has started mass-producing 12-nano 16Gb (Gigabit) DDR5 DRAM using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) exposure equipment. Productivity has improved by about 20% by reducing the width of DRAMs by one to two nanos from the previous 14 nanos. In the 14-nano process, if 100 DRAMs are produced per disc (wafer), it means 120 DRAMs are produced in the 12-nano process. Power consumption will also be saved by 23% compared to the previous generation.

While Samsung Electronics, the No. 1 player in the DRAM industry, is struggling with ultra-fine process technology, SK Hynix, the No. 2 and No. 3 player, and Micron, the U.S., have narrowed the gap with Samsung. SK Hynix plans to mass-produce 12-nano DRAMs this year. It is also considered to be ahead of Samsung in the field of high bandwidth memory (HBM), which is made by stacking several single DRAMs up.

NAND Flash is more competitive. NAND is engaged in a three-dimensional (D) stack competition to stop the microprocess competition at the 20-nano level and build it up. Although 3D NAND is the first technology to be introduced by Samsung, which has the largest NAND market share, it is China's YMTC (6th, 232nd) and Micron (5th, 232nd) that have accumulated 200 layers first. 

 

Since then, Samsung has unveiled 236-layer NAND, but SK Hynix (3rd) has succeeded in developing a higher 238-layer NAND. Recently, the possibility of a merger between Japan's Kioxya (2nd) and the US Western Digital (4th) has been mentioned, threatening Samsung Electronics.

 

[ⓒ AlphaBIZ. 무단전재-재배포 금지]