SK Hynix Develops Industry's Highest Layered '176-Layer 4D NAND'

176-Layer 512Gb TLC Development Completed and Sample Supply Started
Bit Productivity Improved by Over 35%... Read Speed Increased by 20% and Data Transfer Speed Enhanced by 33%

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] SK Hynix announced on the 7th that it has developed the industry's highest-tier 176-layer 512Gb (gigabit) TLC (Triple Level Cell) 4D NAND flash. SK Hynix has completed product development and began providing samples to controller companies last month.

SK Hynix has been introducing 4D products combining CTF (Charge Trap Flash) and high-integration PUC (Peri Under Cell) technology starting from 96-layer NAND flash to the market. The newly developed 176-layer NAND is the 3rd generation 4D product, securing the industry's highest number of chips produced per wafer.

Through this, bit productivity has improved by more than 35% compared to the previous generation, enabling differentiated cost competitiveness. By newly applying a two-part cell area selection technology, the read speed at the cell level has increased by 20% compared to the previous generation. Additionally, a technology that can increase speed without increasing the number of processes was applied, achieving a data transfer speed improved by 33% to 1.6Gbps.

512Gb TLC based on 176-layer 4D NAND developed by SK Hynix

SK Hynix plans to expand the market by application by sequentially launching consumer SSDs and enterprise SSDs, starting with mobile solution products in mid-next year that will have approximately 70% improved maximum read speed and about 35% improved maximum write speed.

As the number of layers in NAND flash increases, phenomena such as current reduction inside the cell, inter-layer twisting, and cell distribution degradation due to misalignment in vertical stacking occur. SK Hynix overcame these challenges with innovative technologies including ▲cell inter-layer height reduction technology ▲layer-specific variable timing control technology ▲ultra-precision alignment correction, developing the industry's highest-level 176-layer NAND.

Based on the 176-layer 4D NAND, SK Hynix plans to continuously develop 1Tb (terabit) products with double the capacity to enhance competitiveness in the NAND flash business.

Choi Jeongdal, head of NAND development at SK Hynix, said, "The NAND flash industry is striving to achieve both improved integration and maximized productivity through technology development," adding, "As a pioneer of 4D NAND, SK Hynix will lead the NAND flash market with the industry's best productivity and technological capabilities."

Market research firm Omdia expects the NAND flash market, which is 431.8 billion GB this year, to expand to 1.3662 trillion GB in 2024, growing at an average annual rate of 33.4%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.