Samsung Sets New Industry Standard with 290-Layer V9 NAND employing mutli stack etch - Plans for 430-Layer Chips

 Samsung Electronics has initiated mass production of its 9th-generation 1Tb TLC vertical NAND (V-NAND), marking a significant advancement in memory technology. This new generation features the smallest cell size yet, improving bit density by approximately 50% over the previous generation. Innovations like cell interference avoidance and life extension techniques have been introduced to enhance reliability and product quality. By eliminating dummy channel holes, Samsung has also effectively reduced the memory cells' planar area, further emphasizing their commitment to leading the high-density, high-performance solid-state drive (SSD) market, particularly for AI applications.

Competitive situation in 3D NAND Flash technology (Golem.de)

One standout feature of the 9th-generation V-NAND is Samsung's advanced "channel hole etching" technology. This process involves stacking mold layers and simultaneously drilling through them, allowing for the creation of electron pathways through the industry's highest cell layer count in a double-stack structure. As the number of layers increases, so does the complexity of the etching process, necessitating more sophisticated techniques to efficiently pierce through these higher numbers. This technology not only showcases Samsung's process capabilities but also maximizes fabrication productivity, cementing its position as a leader in the SSD market.

According to Golem, Samsung's latest QLC-V9 memory chip outpaces its competitors in the NAND flash market with a groundbreaking 280-layer configuration that enhances SSD capacity, cost-efficiency, and speed. With a storage density of 28.5 GBit/mm², Samsung surpasses major rivals like YMTC and Micron, who report densities of 20.63 and 19.5 GBit/mm² respectively, and even outperforms Intel's upcoming 192-layer PLC-NAND. This technical superiority not only sets a new benchmark for memory chip performance but also enables Samsung to potentially introduce the first 8 TB single-sided M.2 SSDs, a significant advancement over current double-sided designs. The increase in interface speed to 3.2 GBit/s from the previous 2.4 GBit/s promises enhanced read speeds close to those of high-end SSDs, although improvements in write speed are yet to be detailed.

Market share, Q4 2023 (TrendForce)

Samsung Electronics is set to escalate its lead in the NAND flash memory market by starting mass production of its 290-layer ninth-generation (V9) vertical NAND chips, which promise enhanced performance for enterprise servers and AI and cloud devices. Building on its dominance since 2002, Samsung is also planning to introduce even more advanced 430-layer NAND chips next year to meet the growing demand for high-performance and large storage solutions in the AI era. This move is part of a broader competitive landscape where major chipmakers like SK Hynix and YMTC are also pushing forward with high-density NAND products, with SK Hynix planning to start producing 321-layer NAND chips early next year and YMTC set to unveil 300-layer chips later this year. Samsung's aggressive investment in NAND technology aims to develop chips with over 1,000 layers by 2030, highlighting the intensifying race among global chipmakers to innovate in chip stacking technology to cut costs and improve performance.

Sources: 

Samsung Electronics Begins Industry's First Mass Production of 9th-Gen V-NAND | Samsung Semiconductor Global

Rekord bei Speicherdichte: Samsungs QLC-V9-Speicherchip schlägt alle Konkurrenten - Golem.de

Samsung to produce 290-layer V9 NAND to win chip stacking war - KED Global