DRAM

My latest blog describes three innovative patterning techniques that complement EUV and accelerate the industry’s roadmap for logic and DRAM scaling.

Applied Materials convened a panel of industry experts to explore trends and challenges for memory technology over the next decade—from continued scaling of mainstream technologies to developing new memory and computing architectures for Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.

Join Applied Materials and a panel of experts in San Francisco on Dec. 4 to explore the types of memories needed for artificial intelligence applications.

The industry's first extreme selectivity etch tool introduces new materials engineering capabilities for the next generation of self-aligned patterning schemes and future scaling of 3D logic and memory chips.

In the same way that various prophets of doom foretell the imminent demise of Moore’s Law, we often hear that conventional memory technologies are going to run out of steam soon. However, the semiconductor industry is highly-skilled at extending its existing architectures rather than making the leap to shiny new ones with apparently compelling advantages. Thus, incremental advances in conventional technology have delayed the introduction of a raft of exciting new memory technologies. When will the tipping point be reached that pushes one or more into the mainstream? Read what the some of the best-informed minds in the business have to say after the jump. 

Mobile computing is now everywhere, more than ever before as a result of faster and more capable smart phones, tablets, and laptops.Universal mobility and instant-on connectivity may herald a new era in computing, but improvements in key technologies are necessary if we are going to keep up with consumers’ constant demand for higher performance, longer battery life and ultra-sleek profiles.To address these technology improvements and answer key questions that may significantly impact the way we interface with an increasingly connected world, Applied Ventures and the MIT Club of Northern California (MITCNC) will host a lively panel discussion with innovators from across the memory value chain on Wednesday, February 1 at 6:30pm in Santa Clara, Calif.[edit: you can read a report from the session here.]

It's not just movies, televisions and video games that are going three-dimensional these days. Microchips are doing it, too.Semiconductors aren't shifting into the third dimension because it’s fashionable, though. This shift is about continuing Moore’s Law, the relentless drive for higher performance that has driven the industry for four decades.With three very different types of 3D construction in development today, it can be a confusing subject. Vertical chip structures, 3D device stacking, 3D chip packaging – what does it all mean?We made this video to help demystify the subject. Did it help? Let me know in the comments below. 

Every two years, your hard-earned dollar buys twice as much memory capacity. This “law” has held true for decades, and shows no sign of slowing. Sixty years ago, a state-of-the-art memory device was a tube full of mercury, with 500 bits of data stored as acoustic waves travelling up and down between transducers at either end. Today, Flash memory cards containing more than a hundred billion bits can be found at the supermarket, next to the chewing gum.This relentless progress is the result of the hard work of thousands of researchers and engineers around the globe who are dedicated to advancing memory technology. A few hundred of those technologists (and this humble blogger) met earlier this week at the 2011 IEEE International Memory Workshop in Monterey, California to discuss the future of memory technology.

As memory scaling proceeds, the industry is evaluating a variety of options for achieving the performance required from sub-2X memory devices.DRAM, Flash, and emerging memory development each face unique complexities and unknowns. What will DRAM technology look like in three to five years? What is the next big growth area for the NAND market? What’s next in emerging memory? Is a universal memory format the next technology?In conjunction with the International Memory Workshop 2011 on May 23 in Monterey, California, Applied Materials will host a panel discussion with distinguished speakers from Hynix, IMEC, Nokia, Samsung, and Toshiba for a thought-provoking and lively conference session discussing these questions and related topics.