Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced it has developed the industry’s first 24-gigabit (Gb) GDDR7¹ DRAM. In addition to the industry’s highest capacity, the GDDR7 features the fastest speed, positioning itself as the optimum solution for next-generation applications.

With its high capacity and powerful performance, the 24Gb GDDR7 will be widely utilized in various fields that require high-performance memory solutions, such as data centers and AI workstations, extending beyond the traditional applications of graphics DRAM in graphics cards, gaming consoles and autonomous driving.

“After developing the industry’s first 16Gb GDDR7 last year, Samsung has reinforced its technological leadership in the graphics DRAM market with this latest achievement,” said YongCheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to lead the graphics DRAM market by bringing next-generation products that align with the growing needs of the AI market.” The 24Gb GDDR7 utilizes 5th-generation 10-nanometer (nm)-class DRAM, which enables cell density to increase by 50% while maintaining the same package size as the predecessor.

In addition to the advanced process node, three-level Pulse-Amplitude Modulation (PAM3) signaling is used to help achieve the industry-leading speed for graphics DRAM of 40 gigabits-per-second (Gbps), a 25% improvement over the previous version. The GDDR7’s performance can be further enhanced to up to 42.5Gbps, depending on the usage environment.

Power efficiency is also enhanced by applying technologies that were previously used in mobile products to graphics DRAM for the first time. By implementing methods like clock control management² and dual VDD design,³ unnecessary power consumption can be significantly reduced, leading to an improvement of over 30% in power efficiency.

To boost operational stability during high-speed operations, the 24Gb GDDR7 minimizes current leakage by using power gating design techniques.

Validation for the 24Gb GDDR7 in next-generation AI computing systems from major GPU customers will begin this year, with plans for commercialization early next year.

¹ Graphics Double Data Rate 7 (GDDR7)
² Clock control management refers to methods used to regulate the clocks (timing signals) of chips.
³ Dual VVD (voltage supply) design is a power management technique that supplies different voltage levels in the same chip.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced it has begun mass production for the industry’s thinnest 12 nanometer (nm)-class, 12-gigabyte (GB) and 16GB LPDDR5X DRAM packages, solidifying its leadership in the low-power DRAM market.

Leveraging its extensive expertise in chip packaging, Samsung is able to deliver ultra-slim LPDDR5X DRAM packages that can create additional space within mobile devices, facilitating better airflow. This supports easier thermal control, a factor that is becoming increasingly critical especially for high-performance applications with advanced features such as on-device AI.

“Samsung’s LPDDR5X DRAM sets a new standard for high-performance on-device AI solutions, offering not only superior LPDDR performance but also advanced thermal management in an ultra-compact package,” said YongCheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning at Samsung Electronics. “We are committed to continuous innovation through close collaboration with our customers, delivering solutions that meet the future needs of the low-power DRAM market.”

With the new LPDDR5X DRAM packages, Samsung offers the industry’s thinnest 12 nm-class LPDDR DRAM in a 4-stack structure,¹ reducing the thickness by approximately 9% and improving heat resistance by about 21.2%, compared to the previous generation product.

By optimizing printed circuit board (PCB) and epoxy molding compound (EMC)² techniques, the new LPDDR DRAM package is as thin as a fingernail at 0.65 millimeters (mm), the thinnest among existing LPDDR DRAM of 12GB or above. Samsung’s optimized back-lapping³ process is also used to minimize the package height.

Samsung plans to continue expanding the low-power DRAM market by supplying its 0.65mm LPDDR5X DRAM to mobile processor makers as well as mobile device manufacturers. As demand for high-performance, high-density mobile memory solutions in smaller package sizes continues to grow, the company plans to develop 6-layer 24GB and 8-layer 32GB modules into the thinnest LPDDR DRAM packages for future devices.

¹ Structure with four layers packaged together, and each layer consists of two LPDDR DRAMs.
² Material that protects semiconductor circuits from various external environments such as heat, impacts, and moisture.
³ Grinding the backside of a wafer.

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has developed the industry’s first LPDDR5X DRAM supporting the industry’s highest performance of up to 10.7 gigabits-per-second (Gbps).

Leveraging 12 nanometer (nm)-class process technology, Samsung has achieved the smallest chip size among existing LPDDRs, solidifying its technological leadership in the low-power DRAM market.

“As demand for low-power, high-performance memory increases, LPDDR DRAM is expected to expand its applications from mainly mobile to other areas that traditionally require higher performance and reliability such as PCs, accelerators, servers and automobiles,” said YongCheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning of the Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will continue to innovate and deliver optimized products for the upcoming on-device AI era through close collaboration with customers.”

With the surge in AI applications, on-device AI, which enables direct processing on devices, is becoming increasingly crucial, underscoring the need for low-power, high-performance LPDDR memory.

Samsung’s 10.7Gbps LPDDR5X not only improves performance by more than 25% and capacity by more than 30%, compared to the previous generation, but also expands the single package capacity of mobile DRAM up to 32-gigabytes (GB), making it an optimal solution for the on-device AI era that requires high-performance, high-capacity and low-power memory.

In particular, the LPDDR5X incorporates specialized power-saving technologies such as optimized power variation that adjusts power according to workload and expanded low-power mode intervals which extend energy-saving periods. These improvements enhance power efficiency by 25% over the previous generation, enabling mobile devices to provide longer battery life and allowing servers to minimize total cost of ownership (TCO) by lowering energy usage when processing data.

Mass production of the 10.7Gbps LPDDR5X is scheduled to begin by the second half of the year, following verification with mobile application processor (AP) and mobile device providers.

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has developed HBM3E 12H, the industry’s first 12-stack HBM3E DRAM and the highest-capacity HBM product to date.

Samsung’s HBM3E 12H provides an all-time high bandwidth of up to 1,280 gigabytes per second (GB/s) and an industry-leading capacity of 36 gigabytes (GB). In comparison to the 8-stack HBM3 8H, both aspects have improved by more than 50%.

“The industry’s AI service providers are increasingly requiring HBM with higher capacity, and our new HBM3E 12H product has been designed to answer that need,” said Yongcheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning at Samsung Electronics. “This new memory solution forms part of our drive toward developing core technologies for high-stack HBM and providing technological leadership for the high-capacity HBM market in the AI era.”

The HBM3E 12H applies advanced thermal compression non-conductive film (TC NCF), allowing the 12-layer products to have the same height specification as 8-layer ones to meet current HBM package requirements. The technology is anticipated to have added benefits especially with higher stacks as the industry seeks to mitigate chip die warping that come with thinner die. Samsung has continued to lower the thickness of its NCF material and achieved the industry’s smallest gap between chips at seven micrometers (µm), while also eliminating voids between layers. These efforts result in enhanced vertical density by over 20% compared to its HBM3 8H product.

Samsung’s advanced TC NCF also improves thermal properties of the HBM by enabling the use of bumps in various sizes between the chips. During the chip bonding process, smaller bumps are used in areas for signaling and larger ones are placed in spots that require heat dissipation. This method also helps with higher product yield.

As AI applications grow exponentially, the HBM3E 12H is expected to be an optimal solution for future systems that require more memory. Its higher performance and capacity will especially allow customers to manage their resources more flexibly and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) for datacenters. When used in AI applications, it is estimated that, in comparison to adopting HBM3 8H, the average speed for AI training can be increased by 34% while the number of simultaneous users of inference services can be expanded more than 11.5 times.¹

Samsung has begun sampling its HBM3E 12H to customers and mass production is slated for the first half of this year.

¹ Based on internal simulation results

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced memory technology, today held its annual Memory Tech Day, showcasing industry-first innovations and new memory products to accelerate technological advancements across future applications — including the cloud, edge devices and automotive vehicles.

Attended by about 600 customers, partners and industry experts, the event served as a platform for Samsung executives to expand on the company’s vision for “Memory Reimagined,” covering long-term plans to continue its memory technology leadership, outlook on market trends and sustainability goals. The company also presented new product innovations such as the HBM3E Shinebolt, LPDDR5X CAMM2 and Detachable AutoSSD.

Jung-Bae Lee, President and Head of Memory Business at Samsung Electronics, used his keynote address to expand on how Samsung will overcome the challenges of the hyperscale era through innovations in new transistor structures and materials. For example, Samsung is currently preparing new 3D structures for sub-10-nanometer (nm) DRAM, allowing larger single-chip capacities that can exceed 100 gigabits (Gb). Following its 12nm-class DRAM that began mass production in May, 2023, Samsung is working on its next-generation 11nm-class DRAM, which is set to offer the industry’s highest density.

NAND flash breakthroughs that will shrink cell sizes and refine channel hole etching techniques are also in development, with the goal of ushering in 1,000-layer vertical NAND (V-NAND). Development is on track for Samsung’s ninth-generation V-NAND to provide the industry’s highest layer count based on a double-stack structure. The company has secured a functional chip for the new V-NAND and plans to start mass production early next year.

“The new era of hyperscale AI has brought the industry to a crossroads where innovation and opportunity intersect, presenting a time with potential for great leaps forward, despite the challenges,” said Lee. “Through endless imagination and relentless perseverance, we will continue our market leadership by driving innovation and collaborating with customers and partners to deliver solutions that expand possibilities.”

Introducing HBM3E ‘Shinebolt’

Today’s cloud systems are evolving to optimize compute resources, which require high-performance memory to handle high capacity, bandwidth and virtual storage capabilities. Building on Samsung’s expertise in commercializing the industry’s first HBM2 and opening the HBM market for high-performance computing (HPC) in 2016, the company today revealed its next-generation HBM3E DRAM, named Shinebolt.

Samsung’s Shinebolt will power next-generation AI applications, improving total cost of ownership (TCO) and speeding up AI-model training and inference in the data center. The HBM3E boasts an impressive speed of 9.8 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) per pin speed, meaning it can achieve transfer rates exceeding up to more than 1.2 terabytes-per-second (TBps).

In order to enable higher layer stacks and improve thermal characteristics, Samsung has optimized its non-conductive film (NCF) technology to eliminate gaps between chip layers and maximize thermal conductivity.

Samsung’s 8H and 12H HBM3 products are currently in mass production and samples for Shinebolt are shipping to customers. Leaning into its strength as a total semiconductor solutions provider, the company also plans to offer a custom turnkey service that combines next-generation HBM, advanced packaging technologies and foundry offerings together.

Other products highlighted at the event include the 32Gb DDR5 DRAM with the industry’s highest capacity, the industry’s first 32Gbps GDDR7 and the petabyte-scale PBSSD, which offers a significant boost to storage capabilities for server applications.

Redefining Edge Devices Through Powerful Form Factors

In order to process data-intensive tasks, today’s AI technologies are moving toward a hybrid model that allocates and distributes workload among cloud and edge devices. Accordingly, Samsung introduced a range of memory solutions that support high-performance, high-capacity, low-power and small form factors at the edge.

In addition to the industry’s first 7.5Gbps LPDDR5X CAMM2¹ — which is expected to be a true game changer in the next-generation PC and laptop DRAM market — the company also showcased its 9.6Gbps LPDDR5X DRAM, LLW² DRAM specialized for on-device AI, next-generation Universal Flash Storage (UFS), and the high-capacity Quad-Level Cell (QLC) SSD BM9C1 for PCs.

Paving the Road for Automotive Memory Solutions Leadership

With advancements in autonomous driving solutions, market demand is also rising for high-bandwidth, high-capacity DRAM and Shared SSDs, which share data with multiple System on Chips (SoCs).  Samsung presented its Detachable AutoSSD that allows data access from a single SSD to multiple SoCs through virtual storage.

The Detachable AutoSSD supports sequential read speed of up to 6,500 megabytes-per-second (MBps) with 4TB of capacity. As it comes in a detachable form factor, the SSD makes upgrades and adjustments easier for vehicle users and manufacturers. Samsung also displayed automotive memory solutions such as high-bandwidth GDDR7 and LPDDR5X with a more compact package size.

Technology That Makes Technology Sustainable

As part of its commitment to minimizing environmental impact, Samsung underscored a variety of innovations within its semiconductor operations that will contribute to increased energy efficiency for customers and consumers.

The company plans to secure ultra-low-power memory technologies that can decrease power consumption in data centers, PCs and mobile devices, while using recycled materials in portable SSD products to reduce its carbon footprint. Samsung’s next-generation solutions, such as the PBSSD, will also help reduce energy usage for server systems as they maximize space efficiency and rack capacity.

While collaborating with stakeholders across the semiconductor value chain, including customers and partners, Samsung’s semiconductor business will continue to play an active role in tackling global climate issues through its sustainability initiative, “technology that makes technology sustainable.”

To learn more about Samsung Semiconductor’s solutions and Samsung Memory Tech Day 2023, please visit: https://semiconductor.samsung.com/events/techday-memory-2023/. The recap of the event will be posted at a later date.

¹ CAMM: Compression Attached Memory Module.
² LLW: Low Latency Wide I/O.

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has developed the industry’s first Low Power Compression Attached Memory Module (LPCAMM) form factor, which is expected to transform the DRAM¹ market for PCs and laptops — and potentially even data centers. Samsung’s groundbreaking development for its 7.5 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) LPCAMM has completed system verification through Intel’s platform.

Historically, PCs and laptops have conventionally used LPDDR DRAM or DDR-based So-DIMMs.² While LPDDR is compact, it’s permanently attached to the motherboard, making it challenging to replace during repairs or upgrades. On the other hand, So-DIMMs can be attached or detached easily but have limitations with performance and other physical features.

LPCAMM overcomes the shortcomings of both LPDDR and So-DIMMs, addressing the increased demand for more efficient yet compact devices. Being a detachable module, LPCAMM offers enhanced flexibility for PC and laptop manufacturers during the production process. Compared to So-DIMM, LPCAMM occupies up to 60% less space on the motherboard. This allows more efficient use of devices’ internal space while also improving performance by up to 50% and power efficiency by up to 70%.

LPDDR’s power-saving features have made it an attractive option for servers, since it could potentially improve total cost of operation (TCO) efficiency. However, using LPDDR can create operational difficulties such as the need to replace the entire motherboard when upgrading a server’s DRAM specifications. LPCAMM offers a solution to these challenges, creating significant potential for it to become the solution of choice for future data centers and servers.

“The energy efficiency and repairability advantages of LPCAMM make this new form factor a game changer in today’s PC market,” said Dr. Dimitrios Ziakas, Vice President of Memory & IO Technology at Intel. “We’re excited to be a part of the new standard enabling the client PC ecosystem and pave the path for future adoption and innovation in broader market segments.”

“With the growing demand in innovative memory solutions encompassing high performance, low power consumption and manufacturing flexibility across various fields, LPCAMM is expected to gain wide adoption in PCs, laptops and data centers,” said Yongcheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning Team at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung is committed to actively pursuing opportunities to expand the LPCAMM solution market and collaborating closely with the industry to explore new applications for its use.”

LPCAMM is set to be tested using next-generation systems with major customers this year, and commercialization is planned for 2024.

To learn more about Samsung’s LPDDR products, please visit this address.

¹ DRAM: Dynamic Random Access Memory
² So-DIMM: Small outline Dual In-line Memory Module

“With our 12nm-class 32Gb DRAM, we have secured a solution that will enable DRAM modules of up to 1-terabyte (TB), allowing us to be ideally positioned to serve the growing need for high-capacity DRAM in the era of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and big data,” said SangJoon Hwang, Executive Vice President of DRAM Product & Technology at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to develop DRAM solutions through differentiated process and design technologies to break the boundaries of memory technology.”

A 500,000 Fold Increase in DRAM Capacity Since 1983

Having developed its first 64-kilobit (Kb) DRAM in 1983, Samsung has now succeeded in enhancing its DRAM capacity by a factor of 500,000 over the last 40 years.

Samsung’s newest memory product, developed using cutting-edge processes and technologies to increase integration density and design optimization, boasts the industry’s highest capacity for a single DRAM chip and offers double the capacity of 16Gb DDR5 DRAM in the same package size.

Previously, DDR5 128GB DRAM modules manufactured using 16Gb DRAM required the Through Silicon Via (TSV) process. However, by using Samsung’s 32Gb DRAM, the 128GB module can now be produced without using the TSV process, while reducing power consumption by approximately 10% compared to 128GB modules with 16Gb DRAM. This technological breakthrough makes the product the optimal solution for enterprises that emphasize power efficiency, such as data centers.

With its 12nm-class 32Gb DDR5 DRAM as a foundation, Samsung plans to continue expanding its lineup of high-capacity DRAM to meet the current and future demands of the computing and IT industry. Samsung will reaffirm its leadership in the next-generation DRAM market by supplying the 12-nm-class 32Gb DRAM to data centers as well as to customers that require applications like AI and next-generation computing. The product will also play an important role in Samsung’s continued collaboration with other key industry players.

Mass production of the new 12nm-class 32Gb DDR5 DRAM is scheduled to begin by the end of this year.

To find out more about Samsung’s DRAM products, visit Samsung Semiconductor website.

¹ DDR5 DRAM: Double-Data Rate 5 Dynamic Random-Access Memory.

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced that it has completed development of the industry’s first Graphics Double Data Rate 7 (GDDR7) DRAM. It will first be installed in next-generation systems of key customers for verification this year, driving future growth of the graphics market and further consolidating Samsung’s technological leadership in the field.

Following Samsung’s development of the industry’s first 24Gbps GDDR6 DRAM in 2022, the company’s 16-gigabit (Gb) GDDR7 offering will deliver the industry’s highest speed yet. Innovations in integrated circuit (IC) design and packaging provide added stability despite high-speed operations.

“Our GDDR7 DRAM will help elevate user experiences in areas that require outstanding graphics performance, such as workstations, PCs and game consoles, and is expected to expand into future applications such as AI, high-performance computing (HPC) and automotive vehicles,” said Yongcheol Bae, Executive Vice President of Memory Product Planning Team at Samsung Electronics. “The next-generation graphics DRAM will be brought to market in line with industry demand and we plan on continuing our leadership in the space.”

Samsung’s GDDR7 achieves an impressive bandwidth of 1.5-terabytes-per-second (TBps), which is 1.4 times that of GDDR6’s 1.1TBps and features a boosted speed per pin of up to 32Gbps. The enhancements are made possible by the Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM3) signaling method adopted for the new memory standard instead of the Non Return to Zero (NRZ) from previous generations. PAM3 allows 50% more data to be transmitted than NRZ within the same signaling cycle.

Significantly, in comparison with GDDR6, the latest design is 20% more energy efficient with power-saving design technology optimized for high-speed operations. For applications especially mindful of power usage, such as laptops, Samsung offers a low-operating voltage option.

To minimize heat generation, an epoxy molding compound (EMC) with high thermal conductivity is used for the packaging material in addition to IC architecture optimization. These improvements dramatically reduce thermal resistance by 70% in comparison to GDDR6, aiding in stable product performance even in conditions with high-speed operations.

“Using differentiated process technology, Samsung’s industry-leading 12nm-class DDR5 DRAM delivers outstanding performance and power efficiency,” said Jooyoung Lee, Executive Vice President of DRAM Product & Technology at Samsung Electronics. “Our latest DRAM reflects our continued commitment to leading the DRAM market, not only with high-performance and high-capacity products that meet computing market demand for large-scale processing but also by commercializing next-generation solutions that support greater productivity.”

Compared to the previous generation, Samsung’s new 12nm-class DDR5 DRAM reduces power consumption by up to 23% while enhancing wafer productivity by up to 20%. Its outstanding power efficiency makes it the ideal solution for global IT companies that want to reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of their servers and data centers.

Samsung’s development of 12nm-class process technology was made possible thanks to the use of a new high-κ material that helps increase cell capacitance. High capacitance results in a significant electric potential difference in the data signals, which makes it easier to accurately distinguish them. The company’s efforts to lower operating voltage and reduce noise have also helped deliver the optimal solution that customers need.

Boasting a maximum speed of 7.2 gigabits per second (Gbps) — translating into speeds that can process two 30GB UHD movies in about a second — Samsung’s 12nm-class DDR5 DRAM lineup will support a growing list of applications including data centers, artificial intelligence, and next-generation computing.

Samsung completed its 16-gigabit DDR5 DRAM evaluation for compatibility with AMD last December, and continues to collaborate with global IT companies to drive innovation in the next-generation DRAM market.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that its latest LPDDR5X DRAM with the industry’s fastest speed of 8.5 gigabits per second (Gbps) was validated for use on Snapdragon^® mobile platforms. By optimizing a high-speed signal environment between application processor and memory, Samsung has surpassed the previous maximum speed of 7.5Gbps achieved in March, reaffirming its leadership in the memory market.

As a global leader in the mobile DRAM market for more than a decade, Samsung has been driving mainstream adoption of high-end smartphones, enabling many more consumers to experience powerful computing performance on their mobile devices.

Thanks to its low-power and high-performance characteristics, LPDDR DRAM is quickly becoming pervasive in modern computing systems, expanding beyond smartphones and into PCs, high-performance computing (HPC), servers and automobiles, where it has enjoyed robust growth in the last few years.

Recently, LPDDR DRAM has seen especially high demand from the PC market, where its ability to combine high performance and low-power consumption in a small form factor is helping PC makers build smaller, lighter and more powerful laptops.

LPDDR memory is also an increasingly important component in modern vehicles. As more and more data is generated through autonomous driving features, high-bandwidth memory like LPDDR DRAM is needed to process massive amounts of vehicle data at much faster speeds.

For data centers and edge servers, LPDDR DRAM’s low-power characteristics can help reduce power consumption levels, resulting in an improved total cost of ownership (TCO) for data center managers, while cutting down on heat and carbon emissions to ultimately lower their impact on climate change.

As the need for faster, smaller and more power-efficient memory increases across various fields, LPDDR DRAM is expected to also extend its presence in emerging markets driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and the metaverse.

“The joint validation of 8.5Gbps LPDDR5X DRAM has enabled us to accelerate market-wide availability of this high-speed memory interface by more than a year, which is a tremendous accomplishment made possible through our long-standing collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies,” said Daniel Lee, Executive Vice President of the Memory Product Planning Team at Samsung Electronics. “As LPDDR memory continues to broaden its usage beyond smartphones into AI and data center applications, strong collaboration between memory and SoC vendors is becoming all the more important. Samsung will continue to actively engage with innovators like Qualcomm Technologies to enhance ecosystem readiness for future LPDDR standards.”

“At Qualcomm Technologies, we strive to be at the forefront of enabling and adopting the latest memory specifications on our Snapdragon mobile platforms. We’re the first in the mobile industry to enable the latest LPDDR5X at 8.5Gbps on Snapdragon mobile platforms, which will enhance user experiences with new features and improved performance for mobile, gaming, camera and AI applications,” said Ziad Asghar, Vice President of Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today unveiled an array of next-generation memory and storage technologies during Flash Memory Summit 2022, held at the Santa Clara (California) Convention Center, August 2-4. In a keynote titled “Memory Innovations Navigating the Big Data Era,” Samsung spotlighted four areas of technological advancement driving the big data market — data movement, data storage, data processing and data management — and revealed its leading-edge memory solutions addressing each field.

Petabyte Storage: Maximizing Server Utilization

To maximize data center efficiency in an increasingly data-driven world, Samsung introduced a next-generation storage technology, ‘Petabyte Storage.’ The new solution will allow a single server unit to pack more than one petabyte of storage, enabling server manufacturers to sharply increase their storage capacity within the same floor space with a minimal number of servers. High server utilization will also help to lower power consumption.

Memory-Semantic SSD: AI- and ML-Optimized Storage

Samsung announced its ‘Memory-semantic SSD’ that combines the benefits of storage and DRAM memory. Leveraging Compute Express Link (CXL) interconnect technology and a built-in DRAM cache, Memory-semantic SSDs can achieve up to a 20x improvement in both random read speed and latency when used in AI and ML applications. Optimized to read and write small-sized data chunks at dramatically faster speeds, Samsung’s Memory-semantic SSDs will be ideal for the growing number of AI and ML workloads that require very fast processing of smaller data sets.

Telemetry: Enabling More Reliable Data Center Management

As SSDs become more widely adopted in data centers, technology to manage these storage drives with the highest degree of reliability is becoming increasingly critical. Samsung’s telemetry technology gathers human-readable metadata from key components inside customers’ SSDs such as NAND flash and DRAM as well as SSD controllers and firmware. Based on this broad set of telemetry information, data centers can detect and prevent any potential problems ahead of time, enabling a more reliable and efficient operation.

Updates to Prior Milestones

Additionally, Samsung informed its keynote audience of important product updates to previously-announced mobile storage and high-performance SSD milestones.

The industry’s first UFS 4.0 mobile storage, developed by Samsung in May, is scheduled to enter mass production this month. The new UFS 4.0 will be a critical component in flagship smartphones that require large amounts of data processing for features like high-resolution images and graphics-heavy mobile games, and will later be used in mobility, VR and AR.

Samsung also announced market availability of two enterprise SSDs. Its PM1743, a CES 2022 Innovation Awards honoree, is the industry’s first PCIe 5.0 SSD, while the PM1653 is the first 24G SAS SSD, both now in mass production. The company further highlighted its paradigm-shifting SmartSSD and CXL DRAM, which have been designed to avoid bottlenecks in current memory and storage architectures.

“The IT industry is facing a new set of challenges brought on by the explosive growth in big data, and this underscores the importance of a robust, cross-industry ecosystem,” said Jin-Hyeok Choi, keynote speaker and executive vice president of Memory Solution & Product Development at Samsung Electronics. “We are committed to developing transformative memory technologies that can bring far-reaching changes in how we move, store, process and manage data for future AI, ML and HPC applications, as we navigate these challenging tides together with industry partners.”

163 zettabytes (ZB) is the amount of data expected to be generated worldwide by 2025, according to market research firm IDC. Within the span of just a decade, data produced by humankind will see a tenfold increase, which means we will see more data created in the next couple of years than has been accumulated over the past decades.

As more and more data is collected, we are able to access the information we want and enjoy high-quality content anytime, anywhere. Advancements in 5G, AI and 8K technologies, in particular, are further enriching people’s lives, resulting in the generation of a colossal amount of data on a daily basis.

Energy-Efficient DRAM and SSD

Most electronic data is stored in data centers which are often called “archives of human knowledge”. Data centers consist of a massive network of servers and are the epitome of cutting-edge information technology. The operation of data centers, naturally, requires a massive amount of electricity, and this is where the potential for the future of energy-efficient memory technology lies.

HDD or SSD is where data actually gets stored on servers. SSD is a NAND flash memory-based storage device and it delivers higher performance than disk-based HDD while using 50% less energy. With recent developments in technologies, DRAM needed for computing has also been optimized to perform better and consume less electricity.

Replacing HDDs with SSDs across all data center servers released in 2020 can be translated into saving 3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy per year. Upgrading server DRAM  from DDR4 to the new DDR5 has the effect of saving 1TWh. These power savings amount to 4TWh, which is large enough to light all the street lights in Korea for an entire year, or power all homes in the country for a month.

Furthermore, additional electricity is required to cool down the tens of thousands of servers hard at work. That is why many data centers are located in Finland, Sweden or Ireland, to give them access to the cooler air and sea water needed for cooling. The less energy used in data center operation by adopting more SSDs and DDR5, the less heat generated, which ultimately leads to less electricity being needed for the cooling process. A total of 3TWh of electricity can be saved per year by following this process. A combined energy saving of 7TWh is enough electricity to replace 2.5 coal-fired power plants. The growing demand for servers driven by rapid growth in data and continued semiconductor innovation are placing a heightened importance on energy-efficient memory solutions.

Our Vision for a Sustainable Future                                               

When the Paris Agreement was signed to fight climate change in 2015, an international environmental organization singled out electricity as the main culprit of global warming in its report, claiming that the energy sector is responsible for 72.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions. They urged the IT industry to join its efforts in reducing energy consumption given that energy consumption in data centers and networks was forecast to soar.

Samsung Electronics has long been aware of the value and potential of energy-efficient memory. Since it launched its “Green Memory Campaign” in 2009, it has been introducing memory solutions with maximized energy efficiency year after year as a part of its commitment to contribute to environmental protection.

In addition, our various sustainability initiatives across manufacturing processes and site operations have been recognized. Samsung Electronics became the first company in the semiconductor industry to earn a number of environmental certifications, including the Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint Certifications and the Zero Waste to Landfill Validation of Gold Level.

The path ahead for Samsung Memory is clear: to produce high-performing and energy-efficient products, and in turn, to empower all users to take part in saving the planet.

As a decades-long global IT leader, Samsung Electronics will continue to work for a more sustainable future as we explore new and innovative approaches to protect our planet.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced the market launch of ‘Flashbolt’, its third-generation High Bandwidth Memory 2E (HBM2E). The new 16-gigabyte (GB) HBM2E is uniquely suited to maximize high performance computing (HPC) systems and help system manufacturers to advance their supercomputers, AI-driven data analytics and state-of-the-art graphics systems in a timely manner.

“With the introduction of the highest performing DRAM available today, we are taking a critical step to enhance our role as the leading innovator in the fast-growing premium memory market,” said Cheol Choi, executive vice president of Memory Sales & Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will continue to deliver on its commitment to bring truly differentiated solutions as we reinforce our edge in the global memory marketplace.”

Ready to deliver twice the capacity of the previous-generation 8GB HBM2 ‘Aquabolt’, the new Flashbolt also sharply increases performance and power efficiency to significantly improve next-generation computing systems. The 16GB capacity is achieved by vertically stacking eight layers of 10nm-class (1y) 16-gigabit (Gb) DRAM dies on top of a buffer chip. This HBM2E package is then interconnected in a precise arrangement of more than 40,000 ‘through silicon via’ (TSV) microbumps, with each 16Gb die containing over 5,600 of these microscopic holes.

Samsung’s Flashbolt provides a highly reliable data transfer speed of 3.2 gigabits per second (Gbps) by leveraging a proprietary optimized circuit design for signal transmission, while offering a memory bandwidth of 410GB/s per stack. Samsung’s HBM2E can also attain a transfer speed of 4.2Gbps, the maximum tested data rate to date, enabling up to a 538GB/s bandwidth per stack in certain future applications. This would represent a 1.75x enhancement over Aquabolt’s 307GB/s.

Samsung expects to begin volume production during the first half of this year. The company will continue providing its second-generation Aquabolt lineup while expanding its third-generation Flashbolt offering, and will further strengthen collaborations with ecosystem partners in next-generation systems as it accelerates the transition to HBM solutions throughout the premium memory market.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has begun mass producing the industry’s first 12-gigabit (Gb) LPDDR5 mobile DRAM, which has been optimized for enabling 5G and AI features in future smartphones. The new mobile memory comes just five months after announcing mass production of the 12GB LPDDR4X, further reinforcing the company’s premium memory lineup. Samsung also plans to start mass producing 12-gigabyte (GB) LPDDR5 packages later this month, each combining eight of the 12Gb chips, in line with growing demand for higher smartphone performance and capacity from premium smartphone manufacturers.

“With mass production of the 12Gb LPDDR5 built on Samsung’s latest second-generation 10-nanometer (nm) class process, we are thrilled to be supporting the timely launch of 5G flagship smartphones for our customers worldwide,” said Jung-bae Lee, executive vice president of DRAM Product & Technology, Samsung Electronics. “Samsung remains committed to rapidly introducing next-generation mobile memory technologies that deliver greater performance and higher capacity, as we continue to aggressively drive growth of the premium memory market.”

Thanks to its industry-leading speed and power efficiency, Samsung’s new mobile DRAM can enable next-generation flagship smartphones to fully leverage 5G and AI capabilities like ultra-high-definition video recording and machine learning, while greatly extending the battery life.

At a data rate of 5,500 megabits per second (Mb/s), the 12Gb LPDDR5 is approximately 1.3 times faster than previous mobile memory (LPDDR4X, 4266Mb/s) that is found in today’s high-end smartphones. When made into a 12GB package, the LPDDR5 is able to transfer 44GB of data, or about 12 full-HD (3.7GB-sized) movies, in only a second. The new chip also uses up to 30 percent less power than its predecessor by integrating a new circuit design with enhanced clocking, training and low-power feature that ensures stable performance even when operating at a blazingly fast speed.

In order to manage production capacity with more flexibility, Samsung is considering transferring its 12Gb LPDDR5 production to its Pyeongtaek (Korea) campus starting next year, depending on demand from global customers. Following its introduction of the 12Gb LPDDR5 mobile DRAM, Samsung expects to also develop a 16Gb LPDDR5 next year, to solidify its competitive edge in the global memory market.

[Reference] Samsung Mobile DRAM Timeline: Production/Mass Prod.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has begun mass producing the highest-capacity mobile DRAM – the industry’s first 12-gigabyte (GB) low-power double data rate 4X (LPDDR4X) package – optimized for tomorrow’s premium smartphones. Featuring higher capacity than most ultra-thin notebooks, the new mobile DRAM will enable smartphone users to take full advantage of all the features in next-generation smartphones.

“With mass production of the new LPDDR4X, Samsung is now providing a comprehensive lineup of advanced memory to power the new era of smartphones, from 12GB mobile DRAM to 512GB eUFS 3.0 storage,” said Sewon Chun, executive vice president of Memory Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Moreover, with the LPDDR4X, we’re strengthening our position as the premium mobile memory maker best positioned to accommodate rapidly growing demand from global smartphone manufacturers.”

Thanks to the 12GB mobile DRAM, smartphone makers can maximize the potential of devices that feature more than five cameras and ever-increasing display sizes as well as artificial intelligence and 5G capabilities. For smartphone users, the 12GB DRAM enables more fluid multitasking and faster searches as they navigate through a myriad of apps on ultra-large high-resolution screens. Also, the 1.1-millimeter thickness allows for even sleeker smartphone designs.

The 12GB capacity was achieved by combining six 16-gigabit (Gb) LPDDR4X chips based on the second-generation 10nm-class (1y-nm) process into a single package, providing more space for the smartphone battery. In addition, by using the company’s 1y-nm technology, the new 12GB mobile memory delivers a data transfer rate of 34.1GB per second while minimizing the increase in power consumption inevitably caused by a boost in DRAM capacity.

Since introducing 1GB mobile DRAM in 2011, Samsung continues to drive capacity breakthroughs in the mobile DRAM market, moving from 6GB (in 2015) and 8GB (2016) to today’s first 12GB LPDDR4X. From its cutting-edge memory line in Pyeongtaek, Korea, Samsung plans to more than triple the supply of its 1y-nm-based 8GB and 12GB mobile DRAM during the second half of 2019 to meet the anticipated high demand.

[Reference] Samsung Mobile DRAM Timeline: Production/Mass Prod.

Unveiled at its annual Samsung Tech Day include:

• 7nm EUV process node from Samsung’s Foundry Business, providing significant strides forward in power, performance and area.
• SmartSSD, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) SSD, that will offer accelerated data processing and the ability to bypass server CPU limits.
• QLC-SSD for enterprise and datacenters that offer 33-percent more storage per cell than TLC-SSD, consolidating of storage footprints and improving total cost of ownership (TCO).
• 256-gigabyte (GB) 3DS (3-dimensional stacking) RDIMM (registered dual in-line memory module), based on 10nm-class 16-gigabit (Gb) DDR4 DRAM that will double current maximum capacity to deliver higher performance and lower power consumption.

“Samsung’s technology leadership and product breadth are unparalleled,” said JS Choi, President, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. “Bringing 7nm EUV into production is an incredible achievement. Also, the announcements of SmartSSD and 256GB 3DS RDIMM represent performance and capacity breakthroughs that will continue to push compute boundaries. Together, these additions to Samsung’s comprehensive technology ecosystem will power the next generation of datacenters, high-performance computing (HPC), enterprise, artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging applications.”

Advanced Foundry Technology

Initial wafer production of Samsung’s 7nm LPP (Low Power Plus) EUV process node represents a major milestone in semiconductor fabrication. The 7LPP EUV process technology provides great advances, including a respective maximum of 40-percent area reduction, 50-percent dynamic power reduction and 20-percent performance increase over 10nm processes. The 7LPP process represents a clear demonstration of the foundry business’ technology roadmap evolution, providing Samsung’s customers a direct path forward to 3nm.

Powering Server-less Computing

Samsung enables the most advanced providers of server-less computing through products including the new SmartSSD, quad-level cell (QLC)-SSD, 256GB 3DS RDIMM as well as High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) 2 Aquabolt. By accelerating data processing, bypassing server CPU limits and reducing power demands, these products will enable datacenter operators to continue to scale at faster speeds while containing costs.

Samsung’s industry-leading flash memory products for future datacenters will also include Key Value (KV)-SSD and Z-SSD. KV-SSD eliminates block storage inefficiency, reducing latency and allowing datacenter performance to scale evenly when CPU architectures max out. The company’s next-generation Z-SSD will be the fastest flash memory ever introduced, with dual port high availability, ultra-low latency and a U.2 form factor, designed to meet the emerging needs of enterprise clients. Z-SSD will also feature a PCIe Gen 4 interface with a blazing-fast 12-gigabytes-per-second (GB/s) sequential read, which is 20 times faster than today’s SATA SSD drives.

Accelerating Application Learning

A range of revolutionary Samsung solutions will enable the development of upcoming machine learning and AI technologies. The Tech Day AI display highlighted astounding data transfer speeds of 16Gb GDDR6 (64GB/s), ultra-low latency of Z-SSD and industry-leading performance of Aquabolt, which is the highest of any DRAM-based memory solution currently in the market. Together, these solutions help Samsung’s enterprise and datacenter clients open new doors to application learning and create the next wave of AI advancements.

Streamlining Data Flow

Samsung’s new solutions will enable not just faster speeds and higher performance but also improved efficiency for its enterprise clients. Enterprise products on display at Tech Day included D1Y 8Gb DDR4 Server DRAM, which incorporates the most advanced DRAM process, resulting in lower power usage. Samsung’s 256GB 3DS RDIMM also helps to improve enterprise performance and enables memory-intensive servers capable up to 16-terabytes (TB).

Additionally, Samsung’s dual-port x4 PCIe Gen 4 32TB SSD offers 10GB/s performance. Samsung’s 1Tb QLC-SSD presents a cutting-edge storage option for enterprise clients with competitive efficiency when compared to hard disk drives (HDD), while KV-SSD allows server performance to scale even as CPU architectures max out, also providing a competitive TCO, write amplification factor (WAF) improvement and scalability.

Breaking Performance Barriers

With their leading-edge specs, Samsung’s QLC-SSD, Z-SSD and 8GB Aquabolt help high-performance computing clients blast through performance barriers and reach new heights. The 8GB Aquabolt provides the fastest data transmission speed and highest performance of any DRAM-based memory solution on the market today at 307GB/s per HBM cube. QLC-SSD and Z-SSD, both powerful on their own, are also offered in a tiered storage solution that results in a 53-percent increase in overall system performance.

Enabling Future Innovation

Emerging tech requires the most innovative and flexible components. Samsung’s SmartSSD will increase speed and efficiency, and lower operating costs by pushing intelligence to where data lives.  Movement of data for processing has traditionally caused increased latency and energy consumption while reducing efficiency. Samsung’s new SmartSSDs will overcome these issues by incorporating an FPGA accelerator into the SSD unit. This allows for faster data processing through bypassing server CPU limits. As a result, SmartSSDs will have higher processing performance, improved time-to-insight, more virtual machines (VM), scalable performance, better de-duplication and compression, lower power usage and fewer CPUs per system.

Unparalleled Product Ecosystem

Samsung’s comprehensive product portfolio with state-of-the-art solutions set new standards for data processing speed, capacity, bandwidth and energy conservation. By leveraging such solutions, data centers, enterprise companies, hyper-scalers and emerging tech platforms are able to configure product solutions based on their requirements and develop exciting new tech offerings such as 5G, AI, enterprise and hyperscale data centers, automotive, networking and beyond.

Samsung will continue to push boundaries in tomorrow’s semiconductor technologies through innovations such as its sixth-generation V-NAND built on a single structure, or with ‘1-stack technology,’ and sub-10nm DRAM with EUV for super-high density and performance.

Experts across the industry, including Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak, were invited at Samsung Tech Day to address the advancements and challenges in today’s semiconductor market, and offer insights for the future of semiconductors. More than 400 customers, partners and industry influencers attended the event.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it has begun mass producing the industry’s first 2^nd-generation of 10-nanometer-class^* (1y-nm), LPDDR4X (Low Power, Double Data Rate, 4X) DRAM to improve the efficiency and lower the battery drain of today’s premium smartphones and other mobile applications.

Compared to the mobile DRAM memory chips most used in current flagship mobile devices (1x-nm 16Gb LPDDR4X), the 2^nd– generation LPDDR4X DRAM features up to a 10 percent power reduction while maintaining the same data rate of 4,266 megabits per second (Mb/s).

“The advent of 10nm-class mobile DRAM will enable significantly enhanced solutions for next-generation, flagship mobile devices that should first hit the market late this year or the first part of 2019.” said Sewon Chun, senior vice president of Memory Sales & Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to grow our premium DRAM lineup to lead the ‘high-performance, high capacity, and low power’ memory segment to meet the market demand and strengthen our business competitiveness.”

Samsung will be expanding its premium DRAM lineup that is based on the 1y-nm process by more than 70 percent. This initiative began with mass producing the first 10nm-class 8Gb DDR4 server DRAM last November and continues with this 16Gb LPDDR4X mobile memory chip only eight months later.

Samsung said that it has created an 8GB LPDDR4X mobile DRAM package by combining four of the 10nm-class 16Gb LPDDR4X DRAM chips (16Gb=2GB). This four-channel package can realize a data rate of 34.1GB per second and its thickness has been reduced more than 20 percent from the 1^st-gen package, enabling OEMs to design slimmer yet more effective mobile devices.

With its LPDDR4X advancements, Samsung will be rapidly expanding its share of mobile DRAM in the market by providing a variety of high-capacity products, including 4GB, 6GB and 8GB LPDDR4X packages.

In line with its roll-out of 10nm-class LPDDR4X, Samsung has started operating a new DRAM production line in Pyeongtaek, Korea, to assure a stable supply of all mobile DRAM chips, in response to the increasing demand.

^*10nm-class denotes a process technology node somewhere between 10 and 19 nanometers.

TIMELINE: Samsung’s Mass Production History of Mobile DRAM since 2012

(2018.07 Develops 10nm-class  8Gb LPDDR5, 6400Mb/s)

Using the new memory solution, PC manufacturers can build faster top-of-the-line gaming-oriented laptops with longer battery life at capacities exceeding conventional mobile workstations, while maintaining existing PC configurations.

“Samsung’s 32GB DDR4 DRAM modules will deliver gaming experiences on laptops more powerful and immersive than ever before,” said Sewon Chun, senior vice president of memory marketing at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to provide the most advanced DRAM portfolios with enhanced speed and capacity for all key market segments including premium laptops and desktops.”

Compared to Samsung’s 16GB SoDIMM based on 20nm-class 8-gigabit (Gb) DDR4, which was introduced in 2014, the new 32GB module doubles the capacity while being 11 percent faster and approximately 39 percent more energy efficient.

With a total of 16 of Samsung’s newest 16-gigabit (Gb) DDR4 DRAM chips (eight chips each mounted on the front and back), the 32GB SoDIMM allows gaming laptops to reach speeds up to 2,666 megabits-per-second (Mbps).

A 64GB laptop configured with two 32GB DDR4 modules consumes less than 4.6 watts (W) in active mode and less than 1.4W when idle. This reduces power usage by approximately 39 percent and over 25 percent, respectively, compared to today’s leading gaming-oriented laptops, which are equipped with 16GB modules.

Samsung has begun to aggressively expand its offering of the industry’s largest 10nm-class DRAM lineup (16Gb LPDDR4, 16Gb GDDR5, and 16Gb DDR4), which will usher in a new era of 16Gb DRAM in the mobile, graphics, PC and server segments, and subsequently in other markets such as supercomputers and automotive systems.

*Editor’s Note: 10nm-class is a process node between 10 and 19 nanometers

“The 16Gb LPDDR4X DRAM is our most advanced automotive solution yet, offering global automakers outstanding reliability, endurance, speed, capacity and energy efficiency, ,” said Sewon Chun, senior vice president of memory marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will continue to closely collaborate with manufacturers developing diverse automotive systems, in delivering premium memory solutions anywhere.”

Moving a step beyond its 20nm-class ‘Automotive Grade 2’ DRAM, which can withstand temperatures from -40°C to 105°C, Samsung’s 16Gb LPDDR4X is Automotive Grade 1-compliant, raising the high-end threshold to 125°C. By more than satisfying the rigorous on-system thermal cycling tests of global auto manufacturers, the 16Gb LPDDR4X has enhanced its reliability for a wide variety of automotive applications in many of the world’s most challenging environments.

Adding to the degree of reliability under high temperatures, production at an advanced 10nm-class node is key to enabling the 16Gb LPDDR4X to deliver its leading-edge performance and power efficiency. Even in environments with extremely high temperatures of up to 125°C, its data processing speed comes in at 4,266 megabits per second (Mbps), a 14 percent increase from the 8Gb LPDDR4 DRAM that is based on 20nm process technology, and the new memory also registers a 30 percent increase in power efficiency.

Along with a 256 gigabyte (GB) embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) drive announced in February, Samsung has expanded its advanced memory solution lineup for future automotive applications with the 10nm-class 16Gb LPDDR4X DRAM, commercially available in 12Gb, 16Gb, 24Gb and 32Gb capacities. While extending its 10nm-class DRAM offerings, the company also plans on bolstering technology partnerships for automotive solutions that include vision ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), autonomous driving, infotainment systems and gateways.

*Editor’s Note:  10nm-class is a process node between 10 and 19 nanometers

Clockwise from left: Dongsoo Kim, Sungwook Choi, Junmo Kim and Youngmin Nam (below)

A Three-layer Stacked Image Sensor, including the Sensor itself, a Circuit, and a DRAM for Super Slow-mo and Low-light Capabilities

“We were able to achieve a readout speed that is four times faster than conventional cameras thanks to a three-layer stacked image sensor that includes the CMOS image sensor itself, a fast readout circuit, and a dedicated dynamic random-access (DRAM) memory chip, which previously was not added to image sensors,” explained Dongsoo Kim. “Integrating DRAM allowed us to overcome obstacles such as speed limits between the sensor and application processor (AP) in a high-speed camera with 960fps features.”

An enhanced camera sensor delivers useful benefits. The improved image sensor on the Galaxy S9 supports the Super Slow-mo feature in bright environments, and also decreases noise in dark environments. “The Galaxy S9 reduces noise by 30 percent under low light, compared to the previous model. Low noise, coupled with the Dual Aperture lens, which automatically adjusts to lighting conditions just as the human eye would, completes the superb low-light capabilities of the Galaxy S9’s camera,” said Sungwook Choi.

Enhancements to the image sensor, the Dual Aperture lens, and other camera features foster completely new experiences for consumers. For example, users can now capture a 0.2 second moment via the Super Slow-mo feature, and record beautiful scenery that is bright and clear even in low-light conditions.

Getting it Right through the Most Comprehensive Testing

While the Super Slow-mo prototype was already available, the developers continued to work on enhancements as well as subject the prototype to rigorous tests to prepare for commercialization. In the beginning, the function was only available through computers. So, in multiple instances, the team carted two or three laptops around Korean amusement parks in scorching summer heat. There, they tested the function’s Motion Detection feature, which automatically records the fleeting moment that the user wishes to capture.

“It wasn’t easy testing out Motion Detection for Super Slow-mo, especially with people staring at us when we brought our laptops to these amusement parks and took videos of fast-moving rides. However, we were all committed to getting the feature exactly right,” said Dongsoo Kim.

“We also shot for two hours in the middle of a mountain range, on a freezing night, to complete the low-light camera function,” recalled Sungwook Choi.

Enabling Users to Get the Most Out of their Smartphone Camera

With smartphones so intrinsic to people’s everyday lives, developing technologies that enable users to get the most of their camera was key. “The Galaxy S9’s camera focuses on ease of use of the Super Slow-mo function, from simple video generation to seamless sharing; a final GIF file typically ranges from three to 15 MBs, which is approximately six seconds in length and optimized for users to share and enjoy.

In the case of AR Emoji, My Emoji stickers can be shared via various messenger platforms. We’ve also enhanced the front camera, improving the user experience and adding fun features on top of advanced image quality. An example of this is the Selfie Focus function on the front camera, which recognizes faces from scenery based on deep learning features to provide an ideal selfie, and enables a background-blurring effect,” explained Youngmin Nam.

The future of smartphone camera development is headed in the right direction. “We will continue to strive for perfect, professional-quality images. But even more than that, our aim is to make it easier for users to share the results of our sophisticated camera technology. The ultimate goal is to develop a camera that always produces the best pictures for all users without tinkering with settings, allowing them to take photos and videos that satisfy their needs,” said Junmo Kim.

“Samsung’s ISOCELL image sensors have made great leaps over the generations, with technologies such as ISOCELL for high color fidelity and Dual Pixel for ultra-fast autofocusing, bringing the smartphone camera ever closer to DSLR-grade photography,” said Ben K. Hur, vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “With an added DRAM layer, Samsung’s new 3-stack ISOCELL Fast 2L3 will enable users to create more unique and mesmerizing content.”

Conventional image sensors are constructed with two silicon layers; a pixel array layer that converts light information into an electric signal, and an analog logic layer that processes the electric signal into digital code. The digital code is then sent via MIPI interface to the device’s mobile processor for further image tuning before being saved to the device’s DRAM. While all these steps are done instantaneously to implement features like zero-shutter lag, capturing smooth super-slow-motion video requires image readouts at a much higher rate.

Delivering an advanced solution, the Samsung ISOCELL Fast 2L3 is a high speed 3-stack CMOS image sensor designed with the company’s two-gigabit (Gb) LPDDR4 DRAM attached below the analog logic layer. With the integration, the image sensor can temporarily store a larger number of frames taken in high speed quickly onto the sensor’s DRAM layer before sending frames out to the mobile processor and then to the device’s DRAM. This not only allows the sensor to capture a full-frame snapshot at 1/120 of a second but also to record super-slow motion video at up to 960 frames per second (fps). With 960fps recording, which is 32 times the typical filming speed (30fps), recording moments such as a child hitting his or her first game-winning homerun, a baby taking his or her first step, or a friend doing a gazelle flip on a skateboard becomes much more dramatic.

In addition to super slow motion video, fast readout can hugely enhance the photography experience. Since the sensor captures an image at very high speeds, it significantly reduces the ‘jello-effect,’ or image distortion, when taking a picture of fast-moving objects, for example helicopter rotor blades. By storing multiple frames in the split of a second, the sensor can support 3-Dimensional Noise Reduction (3DNR) for clearer pictures when shooting in low-light, as well as real time high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging, and detect even the slightest hint of movement for automatic instant slow-motion recording.

The image sensor is also equipped with Dual Pixel technology, which allows each and every one of the 12-million pixels of the image sensor to employ two photodiodes that respectively work as a phase detection auto-focus (PDAF) agent. With ultra-fast auto-focus in any lighting condition, it will be harder to miss capturing important moments before they pass by.

The Samsung ISOCELL Fast 2L3 is currently in mass production.

Under the slogan, “Leading the way, shaping the future,” Samsung offered insight on the latest global trends within the industry as well as the company’s vision and strategy for India’s dynamic mobile landscape.

The mobile ecosystem in India has been experiencing unprecedented development within the past few years and market demand for value-added products has increased sharply. Through its second SMSF India event, Samsung continues to recognize the opportunities that India brings and the potential the market holds.

“India is witnessing an extraordinary digital communication revolution with growth prospects never seen before, and Samsung is thrilled to catalyze this change by providing total technology solutions to our customers,” said Haejin Park, Vice President and Head of Device Solutions in Southeast Asia, Samsung Electronics. “We are very proud of where we are today and excited about where we are headed.”

Samsung’s branded image sensor ISOCELL® was highlighted at the event with demos for its technological sub-brands—Bright, Fast, Slim and Dual—that meet diverse needs of cameras for today’s mobile applications. The brand is named after the company’s own image sensor technology that allows high color fidelity and excellent image quality even with smaller pixels. Samsung’s advanced semiconductor solutions also on display included near field communication (NFC) mobile payment solution, touch controller supporting force home key feature, LPDDR4-based mobile DRAM, and T5 portable solid state drive (SSD).

Following its first components forum in India, the Samsung Image Sensor Forum (2015), Samsung reinforced its presence the next year through the Samsung Mobile Solutions Forum India, presenting a comprehensive lineup of its leading mobile component solutions.

More than 200 industry professionals ranging from mobile manufacturers and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) companies, to design engineers and researchers for mobile devices and technologies attended the forum.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced that it is increasing the production volume of its 8-gigabyte (GB) High Bandwidth Memory-2 (HBM2) to meet growing market needs across a wide range of applications including artificial intelligence, HPC (high-performance computing), advanced graphics, network systems and enterprise servers.

“By increasing production of the industry’s only 8GB HBM2 solution now available, we are aiming to ensure that global IT system manufacturers have sufficient supply for timely development of new and upgraded systems,” said Jaesoo Han, executive vice president, Memory Sales & Marketing team at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to deliver more advanced HBM2 line-ups, while closely cooperating with our global IT customers.”

Samsung’s 8GB HBM2 delivers the highest level of HBM2 performance, reliability and energy efficiency in the industry, underscoring the company’s commitment to DRAM innovation. Among the HBM2 and TSV (Through Silicon Via) technologies that were utilized for the latest DRAM solution, more than 850 of them have been submitted for patents or already patented.

The 8GB HBM2 consists of eight 8-gigabit (Gb) HBM2 dies and a buffer die at the bottom of the stack, which are all vertically interconnected by TSVs and microbumps. With each die containing over 5,000 TSVs, a single Samsung 8GB HBM2 package has over 40,000 TSVs. The utilization of so many TSVs, including spares, ensures high performance, by enabling data paths to be switched to different TSVs when a delay in data transmission occurs. The HBM2 is also designed to prevent overheating beyond certain temperature to guarantee high reliability.

First introduced in June 2016, the HBM2 boasts a 256GB/s data transmission bandwidth, offering more than an eight-fold increase over a 32GB/s GDDR5 DRAM chip. With capacity double that of 4GB HBM2, the 8GB solution contributes greatly to improving system performance and energy efficiency, offering ideal upgrades to data-intensive, high-end computing applications that deal with machine learning, parallel computing and graphics rendering.

In meeting increasing market demand, Samsung anticipates that its volume production of the 8GB HBM2 will cover more than 50 percent of its HBM2 production by the first half of next year.

Samsung Electronics, announced today that it is introducing the industry’s first 8-gigabyte (GB) LPDDR4 (low power, double data rate 4) mobile DRAM package, which is expected to greatly improve mobile user experiences, especially for those using Ultra HD, large-screen devices. The 8GB mobile DRAM package utilizes four of the newest 16 gigabit (Gb) LPDDR4 memory chips and advanced 10-nanometer (nm)-class* process technology.

“The advent of our powerful 8GB mobile DRAM solution will enable more capable next-generation, flagship mobile devices around the world,” said Joo Sun Choi, executive vice president of Memory Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to provide advanced memory solutions offering the highest values and leading-edge benefits to meet the escalating needs of devices having dual camera, 4K UHD and VR features.”

The new 8GB LPDDR4 operates at up to 4,266 megabits per second (Mbps), which is twice as fast as DDR4 DRAM for PCs working typically at 2,133 Mbps per pin. Assuming a 64 bit (x64) wide memory bus, this can be viewed as transmitting over 34GBs of data per second.

While many high-end ultra-slim note PCs use 8GB of DRAM currently, Samsung’s new 8GB LPDDR4 package will help other next-generation mobile devices take full advantage of its extremely high capacity. For example, equipping tablets with 8GB of LPDDR4 will enable virtual machine operation** and smoother 4K UHD video playback, popular features of many premium PCs.

The Samsung 8GB LPDDR4 DRAM provides much more efficient power consumption thanks to its use of the latest 10nm-class process technology and Samsung’s proprietary low-power circuit design. This circuit design enables the memory chip to double the capacity of the company’s 20nm-class 4GB DRAM package, while consuming approximately the same amount of power.

The 8GB LPDDR4 package has XYZ dimensions of under 15mm by 15mm by 1.0mm, which satisfies space requirements of most new, ultra slim mobile devices. Using a DRAM package thinner than 1.0mm enables stacking the package together with UFS memory or a mobile application processor, depending on device manufacturers’ preferences, which will allow further space savings on the printed circuit board.

In August last year, Samsung introduced the industry-first 20-nanometer 12Gb LPDDR4 DRAM. After only a 14-month development period, Samsung is now introducing the first 10nm-class 16Gb LPDDR4 DRAM and this single-package solution of 8GB LPDDR4 DRAM, which will speed up the launch of next-generation mobile devices with even more advanced performance.

Samsung will continue to rapidly expand production of its DRAM products based on 10nm-class process technology. The company has been manufacturing 10nm-class DRAM on a leading-edge fabrication line and plans to also use the 10nm-process technology in other fabs in the near future, to meet ever-increasing demands for advanced, high-density mobile DRAM.

*10nm-class is a process technology node somewhere between 10 nanometer and 20 nanometer, and 20nm-class is a process technology node somewhere between 20 nanometer and 30 nanometer.

**A virtual machine (VM) is an emulation of a computer system that provides the functionality of a physical computer. Virtual machines allow users to run multiple operating systems (OS) on a single PC.

The industry’s solution to the dilemma was to adopt three dimensional concepts to semiconductor structures at several different stages of the engineering process, hence ‘3D semiconductor technologies.’

Here are some of the key ‘3D technologies’ that Samsung has introduced to the semiconductor industry, and how they tackled important technical challenges in meeting the market requirements.

14-nanometer FinFET

While conventional 2D transistors started to show several problems, including current leakage (a.k.a. short channel effect) that comes with finer technologies, the 14-nanometer (nm) FinFET technology raises a ‘fin’ that wraps over the conducting channel. This allows better control of the current in finer circuit designs. The new structure significantly decreases data leakage while demonstrating greater power advantages.

Samsung made this cutting-edge technology available at the end of 2014 which has enhanced hardware design and performance in today’s premium mobile devices.

Vertical NAND (V-NAND)

Advanced NAND flash technology at smaller design nodes started to experience issues with performance and durability, including data crosstalk.

In 2013, Samsung reached a breakthrough by mass producing V-NAND memory, which vertically stacks the cells with 3D Charge Trap Flash structures, which drastically increases density with less energy consumption and enhanced endurance. Samsung is currently mass producing its third-generation V-NAND lineup.

TSV (Through Silicon Via)

Instead of the traditional method of connecting the stacked dies externally with gold wire, we are now able to pierce hundreds of fine holes through the dies and then vertically connect them through the holes, allowing faster data processing with less power consumed. This technology is called 3D Through Silicon Via, or TSV.

Early this year, Samsung started mass producing the industry’s fastest DRAM package (4GB) based on the High Bandwidth Memory 2 (HBM2) interface. The state-of-the-art technology allows next-generation High Performance Computing systems and graphics cards brought to life.

The Basics of the DRAM Structure and Scaling

A single DRAM chip contains anywhere from hundreds of millions of cells to billions of them, depending on data capacity. Each cell consists of two parts: a capacitor that stores data in the form of an electrical charge, and a transistor that controls access to it. The two parts are collectively referred to as a DRAM cell. The latest DRAM from Samsung is an 8Gb (gigabit) chip, meaning it has more than 8 billion cells.

The DRAM chip is produced from a very thin silicon board called a “wafer.” As the circuit design and process technology—which are applied to a wafer—become more refined, the wafer is able to produce more chips.

A single 10nm-class DRAM wafer developed by Samsung produces more than 1,000 chips, which is 30 percent more than what could be produced on a 20nm DRAM wafer.

Using the new 10nm-class manufacturing technology, 30 percent more chips can be produced from a single wafer than from a 20nm wafer.

3 Core Technologies Behind Samsung’s 10nm-class DRAM Production

Samsung developed three innovative technologies to successfully mass produce 10nm-class DRAM: Samsung’s proprietary cell design technology, QPT (quadruple patterning technology), and ultra-thin dielectric layer deposition.

QPT Achieves Maximum DRAM Scaling Using Currently Available Photolithography Equipment

With the new 10nm-class DRAM, Samsung became the world’s first semiconductor manufacturer to succeed in applying QPT to DRAM mass production. But what exactly is this technology?

In semiconductor engineering, the core of the business is designing and integrating nanometer-scale circuits onto a small, nail-sized chip. The photolithography process refers to printing electric circuit patterns on a wafer in a way that resembles printing a photo. While a basic photolithography process prints a single pattern, multiple patterning technologies, like double patterning technology (DPT) and QPT, print up to two and four patterns respectively. Multiple patterning is widely used for advanced memory products that require a high level of scaling and density.

In case of the QPT used for Samsung’s 10nm-class DRAM, the photolithography process itself is done once and, after that, many steps are added to realize the QPT, as can be seen in the diagram. As a result of these steps, four patterns can be produced in the same surface area. The whole point of multiple patterning is about drawing more circuit patterns in the same space using currently available photolithography technology, thereby maximizing the wafer productivity.

Ultra-Fine Dielectric Layer Deposition That Insulates Electrical Current

Printing more patterns in the same given space is not the end of the story. A DRAM chip does not function properly if even a single cell—out of hundreds of billions—does not function properly. Therefore, ensuring that all cells work well in a sufficient amount of time is a prerequisite to produce a DRAM chip with high performance and power efficiency. To this end, each and every capacitor (where the electric charges representing data are contained) needs to be thin, long, and sturdy. This is where ultra-fine dielectric layer deposition technology comes in.

Capacitors are used to contain electrical charges (data) temporarily. They can be either charged or discharged to represent the two values of a bit: 1 and 0. When a capacitor contains a sufficient amount of electrons, it can quickly determine the digital signals. Since the manufacturing process only gets more refined, capacitors have to be thinner and longer in order to contain enough electrons.

When constructing a capacitor, it must be covered with a thin but solid dielectric material in order to prevent its electrical charge from leaking and the electrical charges in the surrounding capacitors from causing interference (the space between each capacitor is only a few tens of nanometers). The ability to maintain the uniformity of these dielectric layers is the core technology that determines the quality of the manufacturing and product competitiveness.

With the previous technology for 20nm chips, the dielectric layers were thicker at the top than the bottom, making the capacitors look like upside-down cones. This was not much of a problem. However, as the capacitors and the space between them has become thinner, the dielectric layers have also had to get thinner. To address the problem, Samsung developed a new material through the ultra-fine dielectric deposition technology, successfully making the thickness of the dielectric layers uniform to a few angstroms (tenths of a nanometer). This technical breakthrough allowed the birth of the 10nm-class DRAM with high performance and reliability.

Proprietary Circuit Design Technology That Incorporates All Core Technologies and Reduces Energy Consumption

In general, semiconductors consume more power in proportion to the speed at which they operate. Which is why the increase of speed and reduction of power consumption in the new 10nm-class DRAM is so remarkable.

In an idle state, DRAM consumes less energy than when it is operating in an active state. The 10nm-class DRAM is designed to accelerate its performance in controlling and processing data while in an active state and then go back to an idle state as soon as possible. As a result, the 10nm-class DRAM is both faster and more power efficient when processing data.

More specifically, the 10nm-class DRAM operates at 3.2Gbps on PC and server systems (up from the 2.4Gbps of its predecessor), while reducing power consumption by 10 to 20 percent.

Faster speeds can simply be achieved by consuming more power, but energy efficiency is also a very important factor in any computing system, including PC, mobile and server applications. Because of this, achieving higher performance and reducing power consumption at the same time is essential for DRAM products, which are used in all kinds of advanced computing systems today.

Based on its advancements with the new 10nm-class DRAM technology, Samsung expects to also introduce a 10nm-class mobile DRAM solution this year, which is faster and uses less power than currently available mobile DRAM solutions. The new mobile DRAM solution will be able to support battery-dependent, leading-edge mobile devices with high resolution features such as FHD video (which is currently the most common standard) and 4K UHD videos.

All three of these key technologies together enabled the industry’s first 10nm-class DRAM: QPT to print more patterns at a smaller scale, ultra-fine dielectric layer deposition technology to build thinner and stronger capacitors, and Samsung’s proprietary circuit design technology to achieve high performance and energy efficiency. By combining these novel innovations, Samsung came up with the 10nm-class DRAM solution, improving productivity and guaranteeing a stable supply of next-generation memory products for global IT businesses.

The productivity and speed of 10nm-class DRAM has increased by more than 30 percent compared to 20nm DRAM, while the power consumption has reduced by 10 to 20 percent. Let’s look forward to seeing how Samsung will continue to innovate the premium DRAM market, and facilitate the growth of the PC, server and mobile markets.

* Nano (n) is a prefix that means “one billionth.” For measuring distances, a nanometer is nearly inconceivably tiny, much smaller than the eye can see. For instance, a human hair is approximately 80,000 to 100,000 nanometers (nm) wide.

** Scaling refers to the process of shrinking semiconductor cells, a crucial factor in fabricating ever more powerful semiconductor chips. While memory scaling improves manufacturing productivity, it also contributes to the development of high-performance, energy-saving IT and mobile products with longer battery life and better usability for consumers. Therefore, competition is fierce to reduce every possible nanometer, to break the previous limits and help keep the overall industry growing.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has begun mass producing the industry’s first 10-nanometer (nm) class* , 8-gigabit (Gb) DDR4 (double-data-rate-4) DRAM chips and the modules derived from them. DDR4 is quickly becoming the most widely produced memory for personal computers and IT networks in the world, and Samsung’s latest advancement will help to accelerate the industry-wide shift to advanced DDR4 products.

Samsung opened the door to “10nm-class DRAM” for the first time in the industry after overcoming technical challenges in DRAM scaling. These challenges were mastered using currently available ArF (argon fluoride) immersion lithography, free from the use of EUV (extreme ultra violet) equipment.

Samsung’s roll-out of the 10nm-class (1x) DRAM marks yet another milestone for the company after it first mass produced 20-nanometer (nm)** 4Gb DDR3 DRAM in 2014.

“Samsung’s 10nm-class DRAM will enable the highest level of investment efficiency in IT systems, thereby becoming a new growth engine for the global memory industry,” said Young-Hyun Jun, President of Memory Business, Samsung Electronics. “In the near future, we will also launch next-generation, 10nm-class mobile DRAM products with high densities to help mobile manufacturers develop even more innovative products that add to the convenience of mobile device users.”

Samsung’s leading-edge 10nm-class 8Gb DDR4 DRAM significantly improves the wafer productivity of 20nm 8Gb DDR4 DRAM by more than 30 percent.

The new DRAM supports a data transfer rate of 3,200 megabits per second (Mbps), which is more than 30 percent faster than the 2,400Mbps rate of 20nm DDR4 DRAM. Also, new modules produced from the 10nm-class DRAM chips consume 10 to 20 percent less power, compared to their 20nm-process-based equivalents, which will improve the design efficiency of next-generation, high-performance computing (HPC) systems and other large enterprise networks, as well as being used for the PC and mainstream server markets.

The industry-first 10nm-class DRAM is the result of Samsung’s advanced memory design and manufacturing technology integration. To achieve an extremely high level of DRAM scalability, Samsung has taken its technological innovation one step further than what was used for 20nm DRAM. Key technology developments include improvements in proprietary cell design technology, QPT (quadruple patterning technology***) lithography, and ultra-thin dielectric layer**** deposition.

Unlike NAND flash memory, in which a single cell consists of only a transistor, each DRAM cell requires a capacitor and a transistor that are linked together, usually with the capacitor being placed on top of the area where the transistor rests. In the case of the new 10nm-class DRAM, another level of difficulty is added because they have to stack very narrow cylinder-shaped capacitors that store large electric charges, on top of a few dozen nanometer-wide transistors, creating more than eight billion cells.

Samsung successfully created the new 10nm-class cell structure by utilizing a proprietary circuit design technology and quadruple patterning lithography. Through quadruple patterning, which enables use of existing photolithography equipment, Samsung also built the core technological foundation for the development of the next-generation 10nm-class DRAM (1y).

In addition, the use of a refined dielectric layer deposition technology enabled further performance improvements in the new 10nm-class DRAM. Samsung engineers applied ultra-thin dielectric layers with unprecedented uniformity to a thickness of a mere single-digit angstrom (one 10 billionth of a meter) on cell capacitors, resulting in sufficient capacitance for higher cell performance.

Based on its advancements with the new 10nm-class DDR4 DRAM, Samsung expects to also introduce a 10nm-class mobile DRAM solution with high density and speed later this year, which will further solidify its leadership in the ultra-HD smartphone market.

While introducing a wide array of 10nm-class DDR4 modules with capacities ranging from 4GB for notebook PCs to 128GB for enterprise servers, Samsung will be extending its 20nm DRAM line-up with its new 10nm-class DRAM portfolio throughout the year.

*10nm-class denotes a process technology node somewhere between 10 and 19 nanometers, while 20nm-class means a process technology node somewhere between 20 and 29 nanometers.

**Samsung’s achievements in 2014 were about DDR3 and DDR4 products that used 20-nanometer process technology, which should be distinguished from 20nm-class process technology. The company’s first 20nm-class DRAM product actually came out three years earlier. In 2011, Samsung initiated production of 20nm-class 2Gb DDR3, and the year after, started producing a full line-up of DRAM product family that included 20nm-class 4Gb DDR3 and 4Gb LPDDR2 based packages and modules.

***Quadruple patterning is a multiple patterning technology that is used in high-end integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing, especially in the photolithography process. There are many different ways of deploying a multiple patterning technology, but the common goal is to extend the patterning resolution and enhance the feature density beyond that of conventional lithography.

****Dielectric materials are characterized by very low electrical conductivity in which an electric field can be sustained with minimal leakage. In semiconductor manufacturing, dielectric materials are used in many different steps. A major application of dielectric materials in Samsung’s 10nm-class DRAM manufacturing is to insulate capacitors and prevent electric leakage, which will result in a significant increase in capacitance and higher cell performance.

“By mass producing next-generation HBM2 DRAM, we can contribute much more to the rapid adoption of next-generation HPC systems by global IT companies,” said Sewon Chun, senior vice president, Memory Marketing, Samsung Electronics. “Also, in using our 3D memory technology here, we can more proactively cope with the multifaceted needs of global IT, while at the same time strengthening the foundation for future growth of the DRAM market.”

The newly introduced 4GB HBM2 DRAM, which uses Samsung’s most efficient 20-nanometer process technology and advanced HBM chip design, satisfies the need for high performance, energy efficiency, reliability and small dimensions making it well suited  for next-generation HPC systems and graphics cards.

Following Samsung’s introduction of a 128GB 3D TSV DDR4 registered dual inline memory module (RDIMM) last October, the new HBM2 DRAM marks the latest milestone in TSV (Through Silicon Via) DRAM technology.

The 4GB HBM2 package is created by stacking a buffer die at the bottom and four 8-gigabit (Gb) core dies on top. These are then vertically interconnected by TSV holes and microbumps. A single 8Gb HBM2 die contains over 5,000 TSV holes, which is more than 36 times that of a 8Gb TSV DDR4 die, offering a dramatic improvement in data transmission performance compared to typical wire-bonding based packages.

Samsung’s new DRAM package features 256GBps of bandwidth, which is double that of a HBM1 DRAM package. This is equivalent to a more than seven-fold increase over the 36GBps bandwidth of a 4Gb GDDR5 DRAM chip, which has the fastest data speed per pin (9Gbps) among currently manufactured DRAM chips. Samsung’s 4GB HBM2 also enables enhanced power efficiency by doubling the bandwidth per watt over a 4Gb-GDDR5-based solution, and embeds ECC (error-correcting code) functionality to offer high reliability.

In addition, Samsung plans to produce an 8GB HBM2 DRAM package within this year. By specifying 8GB HBM2 DRAM in graphics cards, designers will be able to enjoy a space savings of more than 95 percent, compared to using GDDR5 DRAM, offering more optimal solutions for compact devices that require high-level graphics computing capabilities.

The company will steadily increase production volume of its HBM2 DRAM over the remainder of the year to meet anticipated growth in market demand for network systems and servers. Samsung will also expand its line-up of HBM2 DRAM solutions to stay ahead in the high-performance computing market and extend its lead in premium memory production.

Samsung Electronics announced that it is mass producing the industry’s first 12-gigabit (Gb) LPDDR4 (low power, double data rate 4) mobile DRAM, based on its advanced 20-nanometer (nm) process technology.

The newest LPDDR4 is expected to significantly accelerate the adoption of high capacity mobile DRAM worldwide. The 12Gb LPDDR4 brings the largest capacity and highest speed available for a DRAM chip, while offering excellent energy efficiency, reliability and ease of design – all essential to developing next-generation mobile devices.

“By initiating mass production of 12Gb LPDDR4 mobile DRAM in an extremely timely manner, we now are not only helping OEMs to accelerate their moves to the next generation of mobile devices, but also providing functionality that will give mobile consumers greatly enhanced user experiences,” said Joo Sun Choi, executive vice president of Memory Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics. “Furthermore, we intend to closely collaborate with our global customers to move beyond premium smartphones and tablets in creating new digital markets that embrace the full potential of cutting-edge technologies like next-generation mobile DRAM.”

Compared to the preceding 20nm-based 8Gb LPDDR4, the 12Gb version is more than 30 percent faster at 4,266 megabits per second (Mbps), and is twice as fast as DDR4 DRAM for PCs*, while consuming 20 percent less energy. In addition, manufacturing productivity of the 12Gb LPDDR4 has been raised more than 50 percent over that of 20nm-class** 8Gb LPDDR4, which will further fuel demand for higher memory capacity in flagship mobile devices.

The 12Gb LPDDR4 enables 3 gigabyte (GB) or 6GB of mobile DRAM in a single package using just two chips and four chips respectively, while being the only solution that can provide a 6GB LPDDR4 package. In next-generation flagship devices, 6GB of LPDDR4 mobile DRAM will allow consumers to enjoy seamless multitasking and maximum performance within the latest operating system (OS) environments. Also, based on the new 12Gb LPDDR4, the 6GB package can easily fit into the same space used for 3GB LPDDR4 packages currently available, therefore meeting the need for greater design compatibility and manufacturing productivity in advanced mobile devices.

By expanding its high-capacity memory product line based on 12Gb LPDDR4, Samsung plans to reinforce the competitiveness of its industry-leading 20nm DRAM lineup (12Gb/8Gb/6Gb/4Gb), while further solidifying the company’s position in the growing premium memory market.

Samsung also expects that due to the exceptional benefits of its LPDDR4 mobile memory, application areas will expand beyond smartphones and tablets to include ultra-slim PCs, digital appliances and automotive devices, in the coming years.

Samsung’s Semiconductor Series Part 2

Read Part 1 

Semiconductors have been in a race to drive up both product performance and process manufacturing efficiency. Enter the mobile era, the market clamored for smaller and more powerful devices that would make the most out of their battery life. As the inside of such devices became prime real estate, components had to follow suit.

The convention was to shorten the distance between the circuitry. That means faster data transfers that require less energy, has more compact configurations and yet has the same capacity became possible. Fabrication productivity also got a boost as technology generations progressed.

While market needs catalyzed innovation and aggressive scaling in semiconductors, bringing digital experiences into the palms of our hands, chip fabrication methods quickly ran into a whole bunch of walls—or the lack of them. With details shrinking down to the billionth of a meter, it came to a point where traditional materials wouldn’t work anymore, electric charges started leaking and signals were getting crosstalk. In other words, scaling down the technology any further would gravely compromise the information being stored or waste the energy being consumed.

Our engineers couldn’t really defy the laws of physics. But they were able to bring about new designs and fabrication expertise in semiconductor technology that opened up meaningful opportunities for the industry.

14nm FinFET AP (application processor) – A warm and gooey marshmallow between two graham crackers is good enough as it is but if you make your s’more ‘denser,’ the crackers are brought closer together and the marshmallow gets squished up. That’s kind of what happened with the channel structures of transistors for FinFET. And no, the channel did not ooze out.

In February, we came out with the industry’s first mobile application processor (AP) based on advanced 14nm FinFET technology. By raising a ‘fin’ over the conducting channel and wrapping it over with the gate, the new structure addresses the problems of current leakage, or short-channel effect, that comes with finer technologies, while demonstrating greater power advantages and performance levels over our previous 20nm process technology. With our 14nm FinFET AP out in the hands of consumers, we’re staying busy prepping for 10nm FinFETs and beyond.

Read more: Samsung Announces Mass Production of Industry’s First 14nm FinFET Mobile Application Processor

20nm DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) – For decades, the semiconductor industry had followed the pattern of doubling the density of ICs (integrated circuit) every two years. But delivering new technology refined enough for mass production got painstakingly harder. Due to limitations especially in the current technology of drawing crazy-thin lines, namely the lithography process, the 25nm design rule is where the industry thought to be the limit for DRAMs. It had been so for nearly two years. We were stuck.

Then, in 2014, came a breakthrough. Bleeding-edge methods such as modified double patterning and atomic layer deposition were introduced, heralding the arrival of the industry’s first 20nm DRAM. Contrary to common belief, we were able to utilize existing lithography tools, keeping costs viable as well. Not only was this a major breakthrough, but it also paves the way for sub-20nm nodes. We are currently the only manufacturer with this technology and are offering a full DRAM lineup for PC and enterprise systems as well as mobile device customers.

Read more: Samsung Electronics Starts Mass Production of Industry’s First 8-Gigabit Mobile DRAM

3D V-NAND (NAND flash memory) – Let’s say you have a single-story dormitory that you sectioned off for a number of occupants. You needed to accommodate more people, so rooms got smaller and the walls thinner. But tiny dorm rooms with thin walls are no fun at all. So what do you do? You build a skyscraper instead and give each of your tenants the entire floor, of course. All of a sudden, you don’t have to be fighting for space anymore and even better, everybody’s happy and much more productive. Voilà, 3D V-NAND flash memory.

Samsung is the first and still is the only company providing V-NAND products, which feature vertically stacked NAND flash cells. The technology marks a major milestone in memory technology as it overcomes the scaling limitations for conventional 2D planar structures, as well as drastically mitigating development time and resources. Even the first generation V-NAND demonstrated at least twice and up to ten times the reliability while also doubling its write performance. And don’t worry; a few dozen additional cell layers won’t affect the thickness of the final chip at all. Our second generation V-NAND products have also been very well received in the market, especially for applications in today’s SSDs that are equipped for the most demanding tasks.

Read more: Now I know my three-bit three-dee vee-nand ess-ess-dee [Editorial]

ISOCELL (CMOS image sensors) – Between pixel size and image quality, there always was a delicate balance to maintain. A good image sensor will capture as much light, or photons, as possible, as accurately as possible through individual pixels within the sensor array. Theoretically, more pixels and larger sensor size would guarantee better picture qualities. However, we’re living in a mobile world. Since smaller pixel sizes come at the expense of the amount of light received, increasing the light sensitivity of each pixel has been the focus of image sensor development so far. Another problem with size; as pixels got packed closer together, photons that had been absorbed would wander into adjacent cells, making pictures blurry or diminishing color fidelity.

Introduced in 2014, our proprietary solution, ISOCELL, was to form a physical barrier between neighboring pixels so that more light is absorbed into the pixels correctly. This results in sharper and richer picture quality. The walls also create a wider chief ray angle (CRA) that reduces the height of the module. In other words, the pixels can afford to be less deep since they can capture those little photons hitting the pixel at a wider angle that would otherwise wander off to the pixel next door. All of these qualities make ISOCELL image sensors ideal for today’s compact devices.

Read more: Get the Big Picture: CMOS Image Sensors and ISOCELL