Elpida Announces 64Mb ReRAM, Sees 8Gb Product in 2013

Jan 26, 2012 12:03 Jyunichi Oshita, Nikkei Electronics

Elpida Memory Inc developed ReRAM (resistive random-access memory), which is expected to be one of the next-generation nonvolatile memories.

The company prototyped the ReRAM by using 50nm process technology to form 64-Mbit cell arrays and confirmed operation of all bits. It has already started making efforts towards commercialization of the ReRAM.

"We want to launch an 8-Gbit product made by using 30nm process technology (as the first product) in 2013," said Takao Adachi, director of Elpida. "We will be ready for full-scale volume production in 2014."

Elpida plans to target the ReRAM at mobile machines such as smartphones, tablet computers and notebook computers. It expects that the ReRAM will be used as cache memory to fill a performance gap between DRAM and NAND flash memory in those machines.

"We hope that it will eventually be a memory that can replace DRAM because mobile machine makers want to reduce the amount of DRAM (which consumes a large amount of power) as much as possible and replace it with nonvolatile memory," Adachi said.

At this point, however, many of its customers that develop video-related stationary machines and want to enhance the speed of SSD are showing interest in the ReRAM, he said.

The new ReRAM is a 1T-1R-type ReRAM developed by using variable resistance elements based on hafnium (Hf) oxide. Its data reading speed is 20ns or faster, and it can be rewritten one million times or more. Elpida plans to completely clarify the mechanism of its operation and reduce the variation in the operation of memory elements in the aim of increasing its capacity to higher than 1 Gbit.

Though the ReRAM was prototyped by using 6F² cells this time, Elpida intends to use 4F² cells for volume production of the memory and reduce cell area. It can be mass-produced in production lines for DRAMs. For volume production, the company aims to achieve a bit cost 30% lower than that of DRAM.

Elpida has already decided to develop only ReRAM as its next-generation nonvolatile memory and is not developing MRAM (magnetic random access memory) or PRAM (phase-change random access memory).

The ReRAM was developed in collaboration with Sharp Corp, Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and the University of Tokyo in a project sponsored by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) (See related article). The project was launched in 2010.

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