Lam Research Introduces Cryogenic Etching Technology, Paving the Way for 1000-Layer 3D NAND.
Lam Research has launched Lam Cryo 3.0, the company's third-generation production-proven cryogenic dielectric etching technology, paving the way for its customers to move towards 1,000-layer 3D NAND. As the proliferation of generative AI continues to drive the demand for storage with higher capacity and performance, Lam Cryo 3.0 provides the key etching capabilities for manufacturing future cutting-edge 3D NAND. Utilizing ultra-low temperatures, high-power constrained plasma reactor technology, and surface chemistry innovation, Lam Cryo 3.0 etches with industry-leading precision and profile control.
According to Lam Research, 5 million wafers have already been manufactured using Lam's cryogenic etching technology, marking a breakthrough in the field of 3D NAND production. The new technology can create high aspect ratio (HAR) features with angstrom-level precision while reducing the environmental impact, with an etching rate more than twice that of traditional dielectric processes. Lam Cryo 3.0 has been introduced to leading storage manufacturers.
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So far, 3D NAND has mainly made progress by stacking vertical storage cell layers, which can be achieved by etching deep and narrow HAR storage channels. Slight atomic-level deviations from the target profile of these features can negatively affect the chip's electrical performance and may impact yield. Lam Cryo 3.0 is optimized to address these and other etching challenges.
The most advanced cryogenic etching technology in the industry
Lam Cryo 3.0 uses the company's unique high-power constrained plasma reactor, process improvements, and temperatures far below 0°C, allowing the use of new etching chemical components. When combined with Lam's latest Vantex dielectric system's scalable pulsed plasma technology, the etching depth and profile control are significantly improved. With Lam Cryo 3.0 technology, 3D NAND manufacturers can etch storage channels up to 10 micrometers deep, with feature critical dimensions deviating by less than 0.1% from top to bottom.
Other highlights include:Exceptional Production Efficiency: Compared to traditional dielectric processes, Lam Cryo 3.0 offers 2.5 times faster etching speeds with better wafer-to-wafer repeatability, helping 3D NAND manufacturers achieve high yields at a lower cost.
Greater Sustainability: Compared to traditional etching processes, Lam Cryo can reduce energy consumption per wafer by 40% and emissions by up to 90%.
Maximizing Equipment Investment: To achieve optimal profile control and the fastest, deepest dielectric etching, Lam Cryo 3.0 can be integrated into Lam's latest Vantex systems. It is also compatible with the company's Flex HAR dielectric etching product portfolio, which is used by all major storage manufacturers for 3D NAND mass production.
Progress of the Big Three in 3D NAND
However, as it stands, the main flash memory giants are still at the stage of stacking over 300 layers. According to a report by Korean media ETNews, SK Hynix will accelerate the development of the next generation of NAND flash memory, planning to complete the mass production preparation of 400+ layer stacked NAND by the end of 2025, and officially start large-scale production in the second quarter of 2026. The report also mentioned that SK Hynix's new 400+ layer stacked NAND flash memory will adopt a completely different overall structure from the existing "4D NAND."
SK Hynix's current 4D NAND uses PUC (PeriUnder Cell, peripheral under the cell) technology, placing peripheral control circuits under the storage cells, which can reduce chip occupation space compared to the more traditional side-mounted peripheral circuit design.
In the future, SK Hynix's NAND will manufacture peripheral circuits and storage cells on two separate wafers, and then use W2W (wafer-to-wafer) hybrid bonding technology to integrate these two parts into a complete flash memory.
In other words, SK Hynix will also adopt a structural design similar to that of Yangtze Memory's Xtacking and Kioxia-Western Digital's CBA. The report points out that SK Hynix is already working on building the raw material and equipment supply chain required for NAND hybrid bonding, and is reviewing the hybrid bonding technology and materials; in addition, Samsung Electronics is also considering applying hybrid bonding in the production of the next generation of NAND.
NAND flash memory is a type of non-volatile storage chip that can store data even when powered off. It is used in devices such as smartphones, USB drives, and servers. According to market research firm Omdia, after a 37.7% decline in the NAND flash memory market in 2023, it is expected to grow by 38.1% this year. In order to secure a share in the rapidly growing market, Samsung is also heavily investing in the NAND business. In April of this year, Samsung Electronics announced that its ninth-generation V-NAND 1Tb TLC product has begun mass production, which improves the bit density by about 50% compared to Samsung's previous generation product, and improves production efficiency through channel hole etching technology. With the growing demand for high-performance and large-capacity storage devices in the era of artificial intelligence, the South Korean chipmaker also plans to launch a 430-layer NAND chip next year.
Recently, Micron Technology announced that its ninth-generation (G9) TLC NAND technology SSD has officially entered mass production and has begun large-scale shipments. Micron G9 NAND's transfer rate of 3.6 GB/s is the highest in the industry, providing high-speed bandwidth for AI and data-intensive applications in personal devices, edge servers, and enterprise and cloud data centers.Compared to existing competitors, the G9 NAND has increased its data transfer rate by 50%, the write bandwidth per die has expanded by 99%, and the read bandwidth has expanded by 88%.
In addition, Micron's G9 NAND continues the characteristics of the previous generation, adopting a package size of 11.5mm x 13.5mm, reducing the volume by 28% compared to competitors, becoming the smallest high-density NAND on the market.
Micron Vice President and General Manager of Client Storage Business Division Prasad Alluri pointed out that although the PCIe Gen4 market is theoretically nearly saturated, Micron's 2650 SSD adopts the latest G9 NAND technology, pushing the performance limit of TLC client-side SSDs.
In the PCMark 10 test, the product's performance is 38% higher than that of competitors, indicating that it will redefine the user experience of SSDs at the same level.
The product provides a continuous read speed of up to 7000 MB/s under PCIe Gen4, which is the highest increase of 70% in continuous read speed, 103% in continuous write speed, 156% in random read speed, and 85% in random write speed compared to competitors.
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