Elpida never forgets
Memory firm, Elpida, says it has finished developing its new 40nm 2Gb DDR3 SDRAM, claiming this should result in a 44 per cent higher chip yield per wafer compared with previous 50nm DDR3 SDRAM, when mass production starts by the end of the year. Sample shipments are slated to go out in November.
Elpida reckons there is absolutely no investment cost involved in the transition from 50nm to 40nm and that a 65nm to 40nm process conversion can be accomplished with "greater investment efficiency." Elpida also posits that the 40nm 2Gb DDR3 SDRAM is much more power efficient than its predecessors, using about two-thirds less current than previous models whilst also supporting 1.2V/1.35V operation in addition to the DDR3 standard 1.5V.
Moving its competitiveness up a notch, Elpida boasts it is also in the process of developing 65nm XS process technology that can compete with other firms' 50nm offerings, whilst parallel efforts are being made to reduce the die size of products built on a 65nm process.
To allow for separately managed manufacturing lines for mobile and PC-related products, Elpida says it has switched to a product-specific manufacturing system at its Hiroshima Plant. The firm reckons this has already improved yields.
In a press release, Elpida said it believed it would also be possible to increase the ratio of its 40nm output by as much as 50-percent of its total overall production, an ambitious estimate by all accounts. Still, this could be a lucrative move for the firm, especially if enthusiast 40nm products are due out in Q110.
