Qimonda claims DRAM manufacturing breakthrough to 30 nm

The Infineon spin-off's Buried Wordline technology will be implemented in 65 nm this year, running parallel to its standard 65 nm DRAM technology, with plans to begin production of a 1Gbit DDR2 in the second half of the year.

By Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor -- Electronic News, 2/25/2008

Munich, Germany-based memory supplier Qimonda AG today announced its technology roadmap down to the 30-nm generation and featuring cell sizes of 4F², made possible through the company’s “Buried Wordline” DRAM technology, which combines high performance, low power consumption and small chip sizes.

The technology will be implemented in 65 nm this year, running parallel to Qimonda’s standard DRAM technology, with plans to begin production of a 1 Gbit DDR2 in the second half of the year.

Specifically, Buried Wordline technology allows the wordline of a chip design to be built into the silicon substrate, while the bitline is built on top of the substrate, which produces a leaner technology, the company noted.

Developed by Qimonda alone, Buried Wordline is not a derivative technology, but does contain the low power technology from Qimonda’s previous platform, explained Thomas J. Seifert, member of the management board and COO of Qimonda.

Kin Wah Loh, president and CEO of Qimonda, said the technology has the potential to deliver improvements in productivity and cost per bit that are unprecedented in the company’s history. The company believes it is the first in the industry to unveil a DRAM technology roadmap down to the 30-nm generation, to allow cell sizes as small as 4F². “The introduction is the result of our continuous innovation as a leader in the development of memory products. This step also opens up further partnering opportunities,” he said in a statement.

During a conference call with financial analysts, the company confirmed it is currently initiating contact with partners, although it was not more specific.

Qimonda said it is aiming to start mass production of 46-nm Buried Wordline DRAM technology in the second half of 2009, with the node allowing more than twice the bits per wafer over the company’s 58-nm trench technology, which is a 100% productivity gain.

To achieve its conversion, Qimonda said it plans to invest approximately $148 million (100 million euros) for capital expenditures during financial years 2009 and 2010 to convert its existing in-house trench capacities to the Buried Wordline technology.

The company added that this relatively low level of additional investment is possible by leveraging a combination of Qimonda’s buried wordline and lean manufacturing process with a mainstream stack capacitor.