Samsung Starts Mass Production Of First 3D TSV DDR4 Modules
Samsung has started mass producing the first 64 gigabyte (GB), double data rate-4 (DDR4), registered dual Inline memory modules (RDIMMs) that use three dimensional (3D) "through silicon via" (TSV) package technology. The new RDIMMs include 36 DDR4 DRAM chips, each of which consists of four 4-gigabit (Gb) DDR4 DRAM dies. The low-power chips are manufactured using Samsung's most advanced 20-nanometer (nm) class process technology and 3D TSV package technology.
Samsung's has also started producing 3D Vertical NAND (V-NAND) flash memory last year. While 3D V-NAND technology embraces high-rise vertical structures of cell arrays inside a monolithic die, 3D TSV is an innovative packaging technology that vertically interconnects stacked dies.
To build a 3D TSV DRAM package, the DDR4 dies are ground down as thin as a few dozen micrometers, then pierced to contain hundreds of fine holes. They are vertically connected through electrodes that are passed through the holes. As a result, the new 64GB TSV module performs twice as fast as a 64GB module that uses wire bonding packaging, while consuming approximately half the power.
In the future, Samsung believes that it will be able to stack more than four DDR4 dies using its 3D TSV technology, to create even higher density DRAM modules.