Memory Technology 'Super Gap'... Samsung Mass Produces Industry-Leading 14nm EUV DDR5 DRAM

Introduction of Multi-layer Process... Approximately 20% Productivity Improvement
Applying DDR5 with Latest Process... Twice the Speed Compared to DDR4

Samsung Electronics' industry-leading 14nm DDR5 DRAM (Photo courtesy of Samsung Electronics)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Samsung Electronics is creating another "super gap" based on its competitive edge in DRAM technology. As the overwhelming leader in the DRAM market, Samsung Electronics has begun mass production of the industry's most advanced 14-nanometer (nm; 1 nm = one billionth of a meter) DRAM using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, an ultra-fine process, signaling the full-scale commercialization of next-generation DRAM with data processing speeds more than twice as fast as before.

On the 12th, Samsung Electronics announced that it has started mass production of the industry's leading 14nm DRAM applying EUV technology. This comes about one year and seven months after Samsung first supplied DRAM modules using EUV technology to customers in March last year. EUV equipment enables semiconductor manufacturing with finer precision and reduces the number of process steps compared to conventional manufacturing methods, thereby improving productivity. Recognizing the importance of EUV technology in memory, Samsung Electronics has proactively invested in it and achieved this milestone of full-scale mass production.

Samsung Electronics applied the EUV process to five layers (circuit layers) to realize the leading 14nm DRAM. Samsung is the only company to apply EUV to multiple layers in the DRAM manufacturing process. Applying EUV to multiple layers enhances the cost competitiveness of DRAM. Semiconductor manufacturing requires stacking multiple layers, and by introducing EUV equipment in five layers of the process, the number of process steps is reduced and the line width is minimized, enabling finer manufacturing. In fact, Samsung’s 14nm DRAM boasts the industry's highest wafer integration density, with productivity improved by about 20% compared to the previous generation and power consumption reduced by approximately 20% compared to the previous process.

Samsung’s move is interpreted as an effort to stay ahead by accelerating technology development and application speed amid recent trends where major DRAM companies are adopting EUV processes one after another. SK Hynix, the second-largest player in the DRAM market, began mass production of 10nm-class 4th generation (1a) DRAM using EUV in July, and in the same month, Micron Technology, the third-largest in the industry based in the U.S., announced plans to use EUV equipment for mass production of next-generation DRAM starting in 2024. A source from the domestic semiconductor industry said, "As DRAM generations advance and processes become finer, the difficulty of cost reduction is increasing."

Samsung plans to secure an advantage in the sub-14nm DRAM fine process competition and further solidify its overwhelming No. 1 position in the DRAM market. Samsung will first apply this new process to the latest DDR5 DRAM. DDR5 is a next-generation DRAM standard with speeds up to 7.2 Gbps, more than twice as fast as DDR4. Recently, as data utilization methods such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have advanced, demand for high-performance DDR5 continues to grow in data centers, supercomputers, and enterprise server markets.

Samsung Electronics explained that it will lead the popularization of DDR5 DRAM by delivering differentiated performance and stable yield based on the industry's leading 14nm process and EUV technology. Additionally, to actively respond to the demand for high-capacity data markets, Samsung plans to mass-produce DRAM with a maximum single-chip capacity of 24Gb using this process.

According to Omdia, the DRAM market size is expected to grow more than 20% over four years, from $97.123 billion (approximately 116.5 trillion KRW) this year to $117.14 billion by 2025. Recently, there have been mixed opinions in the market, with some forecasting a short-term downturn in DRAM conditions and others expecting a rebound in the second half of next year.

Lee Jooyoung, Executive Vice President and Head of DRAM Development at Samsung Electronics’ Memory Business Division, said, "Over the past 30 years, Samsung Electronics has continuously overcome the limits of semiconductor fine processes through relentless technological innovation. This time, we are the first to apply EUV processes to multiple layers, realizing the industry's leading 14nm process. We will supply the best memory solutions needed in the big data era, including 5G, AI, and the metaverse, with high capacity, high performance, and high productivity."

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