Toshiba and SanDisk Develop 8-Gigabit NAND Flash Memory Chip With 70 nm Process Technology

    TOKYO, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Toshiba Corporation and SanDisk(R)
 Corporation (Nasdaq:   SNDK) today announced an 8-gigabit(1) (Gb) NAND flash
 memory chip fabricated with 70-nanometer (nm) process technology that ushers
 in the new era of gigabyte chips: 1-gigabyte(2) data storage capacity on a
 single chip.  The new chip was today reported at the International Solid-State
 Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2005 in San Francisco.
     The new NAND flash memory utilizes multi-level cell (MLC) technology that
 allows two bits of data to be stored in one memory cell, doubling memory
 capacity.  Innovative circuit design techniques were utilized to improve chip
 area efficiency resulting in an 8Gb chip size that is less than 5 percent
 larger than the previous generation 4Gb chip on 90 nanometer.  At
 146 millimeter square, the 8Gb chip has an areal density of 6 billion bits or
 3 billion transistors per square centimeter (20 billion transistors per square
 inch of silicon).
     Performance is maximized by adoption of fast writing circuit techniques,
 which reduce data write times and support a fast write speed of 6-megabytes
 per second(3).  Read speed of 60MB/sec., which is 40% faster than previous
 generation, has been achieved by a combination of burst mode and high read
 bandwidth.
     Toshiba and SanDisk plan to start production of flash memory products
 based on the new 8 Gb NAND flash memory technology this summer.  In CY 2006
 this 8Gb chip will become the production workhorse for the joint venture
 between Toshiba and SanDisk, bringing significant cost reductions to the flash
 storage products of the two companies.  The companies also plan to
 commercialize a 16Gb NAND flash memory IC that stacks two of the 8Gb NAND
 flash memories in a single package.
     Toshiba and SanDisk are technology innovators and market leaders in NAND
 flash memories -- the highly versatile, non-volatile memory integrated into
 digital consumer and other products.  Toshiba has consistently led the way in
 promoting advances in NAND flash chip capacity and performance, while SanDisk
 is a leader in flash data storage card products and a pioneer in high density
 MLC flash memory chip technology.
 
     About Toshiba Corporation
     Toshiba Corporation is a leader in the development and manufacture of
 electronic devices and components, information and communication systems,
 consumer products and power systems.  The company's ability to integrate wide
 ranging capabilities, from hardware to software and innovative services,
 assures its position as an innovator in diverse fields and many businesses.
 In semiconductors, Toshiba continues to build on its world-class position in
 NAND flash memories, analog devices and discrete devices and to promote its
 leadership in the fast growing system-on-chip market.  Toshiba has
 approximately 161,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of over US$55
 billion.
 
     About SanDisk Corporation
 
     SanDisk is the original inventor of flash storage cards and is the world's
 largest supplier of flash data storage card products using its patented,
 high-density flash memory and controller technology.  SanDisk is headquartered
 in Sunnyvale, CA and has operations worldwide, with more than half its sales
 outside the U.S.
 
      (1)  When used herein in relation to memory density, gigabit and/or Gb
           means 1,024x1,024x1,024 = 1,073,741,824 bits.  Usable capacity may
           be less.  For details, please refer to applicable product
           specifications.
 
      (2)  When used herein in relation to memory density, gigabyte and/or GB
           means 1,024x1,024x1,024 = 1,073,741,824 bytes.  Usable capacity may
           be less.  For details, please refer to applicable product
           specifications.
 
      (3)  Read and write speed may vary depending on the read and write
           conditions, such as devices you use and file sizes you read and/or
           write.  (For purposes of measuring write speed in this context,
           1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes).
 
     Information in this press release, including product specifications,
 content of services and contact information, is current and believed to be
 accurate on the date of the announcement, but is subject to change without
 prior notice.  Technical and application information contained here is subject
 to the most recent applicable Toshiba product specifications.  In developing
 designs, please ensure that Toshiba products are used within specified
 operating ranges as set forth in the most recent Toshiba product
 specifications and the information set forth in Toshiba's "Handling Guide for
 Semiconductor Devices," or "Toshiba Semiconductor Reliability Handbook."  This
 information is available at
 www.semicon.toshiba.co.jp/eng/prd/common/indes.html or www.chips.toshiba.com.
 
     All trademarks and tradenames held within are the properties of their
 respective holders.
 
 

SOURCE  Toshiba Corporation