Samsung mass produces 14-nano DRAM with EUV Technology

Samsung Electronics released a statement on Tuesday that it began mass production of 14 nanometer DRAM with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology, which would allow for finer semiconductor circuit patterns.

Extreme ultraviolet technology has shorter light wavelengths compared to the conventional argon fluoride (ArF)-based technology and is therefore much more effective in realizing finer semiconductor circuits. Samsung Electronics aims to become a frontrunner in the next generation DRAM market based on the new EUV technology.

The chipmaker further explained that the DRAM capacity and yield rate were bolstered by the EUV application in the mass production of 14 nm DRAMs. EUV is applied to five layers to build the 14 nano DRAMs with the minimum linear feature size. Samsung Electronics is the only one in the industry to possess the so-called “multilayer” technology, where the EUV technology is applied to several layers in the DRAM production.

According to the Samsung Electronics, 14 nano DRAMs with multilayer EUV technology shows an increase of wafer productivity by 20% compared to a former generation of technology, which is the highest in the industry, with power consumption reduced by 20%. The company will first apply the new technology to next generation DDR5 DRAM modules. DDR5 modules are the next generation DRAM with speeds as high as 7.2Gbps, twice faster than DDR4. High capacity DDR5 is used in data centers, supercomputers, and business servers.

Samsung Electronics unveiled its plan to mass produce 24Gb DRAMs, the highest capacity for a single stick, using EUV technology, to meet the demand of the big data market. “Based on the industry’s finest 14 nm technology and EUV technology that has reached a high maturity level, Samsung Electronics will take the lead in the mass production of DDR5 DRAM with high capacity and stable yield rate,” a statement by the chipmaker read.


Hyun-Seok Lim lhs@donga.com