South Korean giant SK Hynix, Announced today The company has officially started using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography to manufacture its 1nm DRAM products. The first product manufactured using this process is an 8 Gigabit (Gb) LPDDR4 mobile DRAM chip.
It runs at a speed of 4266Mbps, which is the fastest speed in the LPDDR4 standard. Due to the new process, the power consumption of this new chip is reduced by 20%. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the 1anm process, SK Hynix claims that EUV enables it to obtain 25% more chips on the same size wafer, which translates into a 25% increase in density.
The 1anm process is the fourth iteration of SK Hynix’s 10 nm technology for DRAM manufacturing. Its predecessor includes 1x, 1y, and 1z processes, all of which are based on the 10 nm node, but with some adjustments to the next-generation process. The new 1anm EUV process has shown stability in manufacturing, and the company plans to use it for all future products.
The first DRAM product based on this process is the aforementioned 8Gb LPDDR4 chip, which is currently in mass production. It is expected to enter the market as part of smartphones sometime in the second half of 2021. Starting early next year, 1anm DRAM technology will also be applied to DDR5 products manufactured by SK Hynix.
SK Hynix also pointed out that the product is helping the company achieve its goal of “reducing carbon dioxide emissions as part of its commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) management.” Cho Youngmann, vice president of SK hynix, commented on the announcement: “With the improvement of productivity and cost competitiveness, the latest 1anm DRAM not only helps ensure high profitability, but also strengthens SK hynix’s position as a leading technology company. EUV lithography technology for mass production.”
