DDR5 memory became mainstream a few months ago, but Samsung has now begun the early development process for the next generation of DDR6 memory. At a seminar in Suwon, Korea, Samsung’s vice president for test and system packaging (TSP) revealed that the packaging technology will need to evolve as the performance of the memory itself expands in the future. The company confirmed that it is already in the early stages of development for next-generation DDR6 memory, which will use MSAP technology.
According to Samsung, MSAP is already being used by its competitors (SK Hynix and Micron) for DDR5. So what’s new about MSAP?MSAP’s modified semi-additive process allows DRAM manufacturers to create memory modules with finer circuitry. This is achieved by applying circuit patterns to previously untouched empty spaces, which allows for better connectivity and faster transfer speeds. The next generation of DDR6 memory will not only utilize MSAP to enhance circuit connections but will also accommodate the increased number of layers in DDR6 memory.
The previous tenting method could only coat the areas of the circular copper board where the circuit pattern was formed, while other areas were etched away. But in MSAP, areas outside the circuit are coated so that a finer circuit can be formed. As the capacity of memory chips and the speed of data processing increases, packages must be designed to fit the situation, said Ko, vice president. The memory packaging market is also expected to grow exponentially as the number of layers increases and the process becomes more complex.
In fan-out (another packaging technology where I/O terminals are placed outside the chip to make the chip smaller while retaining a spherical layout) type packages, Samsung is applying fan-out-wafer-level packaging (FO-WLP) and fan-out-panel-level packaging (FO-LP).
Samsung expects its DDR6 design to be completed by 2024, but commercial use is not expected to be possible until after 2025. In terms of specifications, DDR6 memory will be twice as fast as existing DDR5 memory, with transfer speeds of up to 12,800 Mbps (JEDEC) and overclocked speeds of more than 17,000 Mbps. Currently, Samsung’s fastest DDR5 DIMMs have transfer speeds of 7,200 Mbps, a 1.7x improvement under the JEDEC standard and an overclocked speed of 2.36x under the next generation of memory chips. speed by 2.36 times.
In addition to introducing the new technology, the memory maker highlighted the potential for DDR5 to continue to be used on consumer platforms as well, as we could see DDR5-12600 form factor products emerge in the future. Faster and more tuned DDR5 memory modules are expected later this year with the launch of AMD’s Zen 4 and Intel’s Raptor Lake CPU platforms.
