After the world’s first 3D flash memory with a 176-layer stack in 2021, Micron today has the world’s first NAND flash memory with a 232-layer stack, which is the first flash memory with more than 200 layers and the highest density in the industry, with an increased interface speed of 2.4GB/s and a 100% increase in write speed.
Scott DeBoer, Micron’s executive vice president of technology and products, said 232 layers of flash memory is a watershed in memory chip innovation, demonstrating for the first time that 3D flash memory has the ability to scale beyond 200 layers.
In terms of metrics, Micron says its 232-layer NAND flash introduces the industry’s fastest IO speed of up to 2.4GB/s, 50% higher than its predecessor’s 176-layer flash, as well as a 100% increase in write bandwidth and a 75% increase in read bandwidth.
Micron’s 232-layer flash is also the world’s first six-plane NAND flash, with the most planes in NAND flash, and each plane can be read independently. The combination of high IO speed, low latency and six-plane architecture allows the 232-layer flash to provide best-in-class data transfer capability.
In addition, Micron’s 232-layer flash is also the first to support NV-LPDDR4, a low-voltage interface that offers more than 30% more energy efficiency per bit compared to previous IO interfaces.
In other aspects, Micron’s 232-layer NAND flash is still the highest density ever, reaching 14.6Gb/mm2, 35-100% higher than the current NAND flash, while the 232-layer flash uses an 11.5×13.5mm package, 28% smaller in size than its predecessor, making it the smallest area of high-density flash on the market, which reduces the footprint of the board.
Micron’s 232-layer flash memory is currently in mass production at the Sunga Phi plant, and will initially be launched as a consumer SSD under Micron’s Ingredion brand, with subsequent announcements for other products.
