80-nanometer DDR2 Memory Production, Samsung

Jack Writes:With 80-nm process technology, Samsung is able to increase its production efficiency by 50 percent over the previous 90-nm process. The production economies of scale afforded by moving to 80-nm process technology will better enable the company to meet increasing demand for DDR2.

Samsung was able to smoothly transition from 90-nm to 80-nm process technology because it utilized many of the basic features of 90-nm geometries, and as a result required minimal upgrades to its fabrication lines.

The move to 80-nm circuitry was sped up by the use of a recess channel array transistor (RCAT). This three-dimensional transistor layout greatly enhances the refresh rate, which is a critical element in data storage. Samsung's RCAT also reduces cell area coverage, which allows for increased process scaling by freeing up space for chip-per-wafer growth.