Samsung has started mass production of its 9th generation vertical triple-level cell (TLC) NAND (V-NAND) of one terabit (TB). This appears to be aimed at strengthening the company’s position in the NAND flash market, particularly in the high-performance solid state drive (SSD) segment.
SungHoi Hur, Head of Flash Products and Technologies at Samsung’s Memory Business, commented on the launch: “With the industry’s first 9th generation V-NAND, we aim to meet the growing demand for high-performance, high-density SSD solutions that are suitable for AI and other future applications.
9th Generation V-NAND features the smallest cell size and thinnest die in the industry, improving bit density by approximately 50% compared to 8th Generation V-NAND. Innovations such as cellular interference avoidance and life extension techniques have been implemented to improve product quality and reliability. Removing the dummy channel holes also effectively reduced the planar surface area of the memory cells.
Samsung’s introduction of “channel hole etching” technology demonstrates a refinement of the process’s capabilities. This technology involves stacking mold layers and simultaneously drilling the industry’s highest number of cell layers in a dual-stack structure, enabling improved electronic pathways and manufacturing productivity.
The new V-NAND also features Toggle 5.1, which increases data input/output speeds by 33%, reaching up to 3.2 gigabits per second (Gbps). Additionally, Samsung plans to improve its SSD offerings by integrating support for PCIe 5.0.
Efforts to improve energy consumption resulted in a 10% reduction compared to the previous generation, underscoring the company’s commitment to reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. This makes 9th generation V-NAND a more environmentally friendly option for future technology applications.
Mass production of the 1TB TLC 9th generation V-NAND began this month, with Samsung also planning to introduce a quad-level cell (QLC) model later this year.