SST, TSMC to Develop 90-Nanometer SuperFlash

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) and Silicon Storage Technology (SST) have agreed to work together on developing 90-nanometer embedded SuperFlash technology, with TSMC to license the technology as part of its portfolio, the companies announced on Monday.

The companies plan to be the first on the market to offer the licensable 90-nanometer embedded flash technology.

The 90-nanometer SuperFlash technology is designed for use by high-density applications that require low power and could be used in 64-bit microcontroller cores, high-speed application-specific integrated circuits and multimedia integrated circuits.

A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, and a 90-nanometer chip is one in which the smallest feature on it is 90 nanometers in size.

Chip makers are racing to make ever-smaller features, and while many of today’s chips use 90-nanometer and 65-nanometer technology, developers are working on 45-nanometer production.

Demand for embedded 90-nanometer flash technology will come from the continuing growth of consumer and mobile electronics devices, which increasingly require more advanced embedded flash technologies as they begin to include more functionality, according to Web-Feet Research.

SuperFlash, which is proprietary technology developed by SST, is used in various flash memory components and flash mass storage products.

The development of the 90-nanometer SuperFlash technology is part of SST’s strategy of scaling the technology to finer process geometries, the company said.

Samples of the product will become available next year.

-Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service (Dublin Bureau)

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