Electronics giant Samsung has announced that it has successfully shipped one million of the industry’s first 10nm-class (D1x) DDR4 DRAM modules based on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology.
The new modules have now completed global customer evaluations, the firm said, and will pave the way for more cutting-edge EUV process nodes for use in PC, mobile, enterprise server and datacentre applications.
EUV technology will be included in the company’s future generations of DRAM, starting with its fourth-generation 10nm-class (D1a) or its top-end 14nm-class offering. Samsung said that volume production of D1a-based DDR5 and LPDDR5 is cued to begin next year and will double manufacturing productivity of its 12-inch D1x wafers.
In order to handle this demand for next-generation premium DRAM, the Korean giant announced that it will start the operation of a second semiconductor fabrication line in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, during the second half of 2020.
Samsung is the first manufacturer to use EUV in DRAM production in order to overcome challenges in DRAM scaling. The tech reduces repetitive steps in multi-patterning and improves patterning accuracy, the firm explained, ultimately enabling enhanced performance, greater yields, as well as a shorter development time.
"With the production of our new EUV-based DRAM, we are demonstrating our full commitment toward providing revolutionary DRAM solutions in support of our global IT customers,” commented Jung-bae Lee, executive vice president of DRAM Product & Technology at Samsung Electronics.
"This major advancement underscores how we will continue contributing to global IT innovation through timely development of leading-edge process technologies and next-generation memory products for the premium memory market."
Samsung also revealed that it will further strengthen its collaboration with leading IT customers and semiconductor vendors to optimise standard specifications, as it accelerates the transition to DDR5/LPDDR5 in the memory market.
