NEC Electronics introduced two new technologies for the manufacturing 40nm system-on-chip (SoC) devices with embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM).

The UX8GD eDRAM technology boasts clock speeds up to 800MHz and low operating power, making it optimal for use in consumer electronics products such as digital video cameras and game consoles, NEC said. The UX8LD eDRAM technology features low leakage-current levels that reduce power consumption by as much two-thirds compared to equivalent SRAM, making it ideal for use in mobile handsets and other portable devices that require low standby power.

Both of these eDRAM technologies combine 40nm CMOS process technology with NEC's eDRAM process technology, and are available in memory configurations up to 256Mb. Cell size is 0.06 square micron meters, 50% smaller than the company's previous 55nm UX7LSeD eDRAM. This translates to a 50% reduction in overall chip size, which contributes to lower bill-of-materials (BOM) costs.

The new 40nm technologies also leverage high-dielectric (high-k) materials – such as hafnium gate dielectrics, nickel-silicide gate electrodes, and zirconium-oxide DRAM capacitors – that have been proven in NEC's 55 nm UX7LSeD technology. These innovations lower the concentration of impurities and parasitic resistance in the channels, resulting in benefits such as lower leakage current between the drain and source, longer-term data storage, fewer variations in transistor performance, and greater performance of both logic and memory.

NEC began shipment of 55nm eDRAM samples in October 2007 and plans to ramp to volume production by the end of this fiscal year (ending March 31, 2008). Volume production of 40nm devices is scheduled to begin by the end of the next fiscal year at NEC Electronics' 12-inch wafer line at manufacturing subsidiary NEC Yamagata.

By: DocMemory
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