Samsung Electronics "Applying Double Stack to Next-Generation V7 NAND"

Samsung Electronics NAND Flash Product (Reference Photo)

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Samsung Electronics announced on the 1st that it plans to introduce 'Double Stack' technology in its next-generation NAND flash. Mass production is scheduled to begin next year.

At an investor forum held online yesterday, Samsung Electronics announced that it will apply Double Stack technology to the next-generation NAND, V7.

NAND storage capacity increases as the storage units, called cells, are stacked vertically, so higher levels of stacking are achieved in next-generation NAND.

As the world's number one NAND manufacturer, Samsung Electronics has been producing NAND using single stack technology, which drills the current-carrying hole once to stack cells individually. Single stack is more efficient than double stack, which requires drilling twice, but due to its high technical difficulty, Samsung Electronics is the only company in the world to have commercialized this technology for the latest NAND manufacturing. However, from 128 layers and above, Samsung plans to use Double Stack technology considering various conditions.

Jinman Han, Executive Vice President of the Memory Business Marketing Team at Samsung Electronics, said at yesterday's forum, "We plan to apply Double Stack technology to the next-generation V-NAND. Currently, the 6th generation V-NAND stacks 128 layers using single stack technology, but applying Double Stack technology would allow stacking up to 256 layers by simple calculation."

Han added, "Double Stack technology increases the number of processes compared to the existing one, raising costs by at least 10%, but it will not be an ordinary Double Stack technology."

Mass production of Samsung Electronics' next-generation V7 NAND is scheduled for next year. Han explained, "NAND demand is expected to grow at an average annual rate of about 30 to 35% until 2024 due to the transition to 5G smartphones and server SSD (solid-state drive) demand, while DRAM is expected to show an average annual growth rate of 15 to 20%, centered on mobile and servers."