Toshiba's 15-nm process hints at 100Gbit NAND chips: 6x current densities

We won't pretend to be experts in NAND fabrication so we'll keep this short. Toshiba just showed their 15-nm processes which allows for the production of 100Gbit NAND flash chips in 4 years time. That is, if they can develop the technology for manufacturing -- no easy task. Compare that to those 16Gbit chips manufactured from 50-nm and 52-nm processes due for release next year, and you'll understand why physicists are in such a tizzy over the announcement.

[Via Impress and The Inquirer]

[Bobs @ Dec 13th 2007 5:17AM]

Thats tiny. But like all good electronics, It will get smaller, but stuff will generally stay the same size, but always have the avalablity of being smaller, like pocket drives shaped like cheese-it, or stay the same size, just pack more smaller chips and gain more memory. I tell ya, they just keep gettin smaller and smaller, as my dad always says when i buy a new processor that was over twice as fast as the one he had 9 years ago.

[anon @ Dec 13th 2007 5:28AM]

Research run-on sentence, STAT!

[Geir E @ Dec 13th 2007 7:40AM]

I wonder what kind of computer you father bought now, or what he did have back then, when it is just twice as fast.

[chris fredette @ Dec 13th 2007 11:11AM]

"Here at Rockwell Automation Headquarters ... work has has been proceeding in order to bring prefection to the crudely conceived idea of a machine that would work to not only supply inverse reactive current, for use in unilateral phase detectors, but would also be capable of automatically synchronising cardinal grammeters. Such a machine is ... the 'Retroencabulator'. Basically, the only new principle involved is that instead of the power being generated by the relaxive motion of conductors and fluxes, it is produced by the modial interactions of magneto- reluctance and capacitive directance. The original machine had a base-plate of prefabulated amulite, surrounded by a malleable logarithmic casing in such a way that the two spurving bearings were in direct line with the pentametric fan, the latter consisted simply of six hydrocoptic marzelvanes, so fitted to the ambifacient lunar vaneshaft that side fumbling was effectively prevented. The main winding was of the normal lotus- o-delta type placed in panendermic semiboloid slots in the stator, every seventh conductor being connected by a non-reversible termic pipe to the differential girdlespring on the 'up' end of the grammeter. In addition, whenever a barescent skor motion is required, it may be employed in conjunction with a drawn reciprocating dingle arm to reduce sinusoidal depleneration. Undoubtedly, the Retroencabulator has now reached a very high level of technical development. It has been successfully used for operating nofer trunnions. It is available soon wherever Rockwell Automation products are sold."

[quomen @ Dec 13th 2007 5:27AM]

Does anyone else think that looks like a ... K nevermind. Keyhole?

[Mickel @ Dec 13th 2007 9:24PM]

Wow, that guy is small! Yes...

[Nathan @ Dec 13th 2007 10:08AM]

At first I wondered why there was an x-ray of someone standing and taking a crap.

[Phil Perman @ Dec 13th 2007 6:04AM]

I know this is very simplified so don't yell. The atomic radius of silicon is about 117pm, so that means a 15nm transistor is only about 128 ATOMS wide. Thats really quite insane. I wonder how much smaller can they really get?

[Ryan Trevisol @ Dec 13th 2007 6:41AM]

Ostensibly, 128 times smaller?

Though I'm sure I'd lose that human-hair sized flash drive 128 times faster than I lose the current variety.

[Wwhat @ Dec 13th 2007 7:58AM]

Nope, quantum tunnelling says it won't be 128 times.

[J @ Dec 13th 2007 9:51AM]

Actually there are only ~64 Si across based on the Si-Si bond length of 233 pm. Also, Si quantum wires behave like insulators not semiconductors, so you really can't go that much further down in size and still use Si. If you use Ge instead, well that's another story....

[L.Rawlins @ Dec 13th 2007 6:14AM]

NanoSD™

Marvellous.

[mmh @ Dec 13th 2007 6:25AM]

The impress link is wrong.

[CaptSaltyJack @ Dec 13th 2007 10:05AM]

Whoa, NSFW!! Oh wait, nevermind.

[Bombaclaat @ Dec 13th 2007 10:27AM]

can someone please explain what part nm plays in processor and NAND manufacturing? why is it so important?

[Ben @ Dec 13th 2007 11:11AM]

NAND memory is built with large arrays of floating gate transistors. The smallest repeated dimension being the process size people always talk about. This size governs how many transistors you can fit on a single chip ie how much memory a single chip can have.

[emanji @ Dec 13th 2007 10:32AM]

O Em Gee, it's goatse

[Cameron @ Dec 13th 2007 11:49AM]

alright what asshole put up that picture of my junk up on engadget.

[preston @ Dec 13th 2007 1:27PM]

So I guess that answers that question about whether or not size matters.

[scolen2 @ Dec 13th 2007 4:21PM]

I see it... :-(

[Benson @ Dec 13th 2007 6:17PM]

I guess it could look that way, but thank goodness, that's not what I saw.
I saw a fat mullah, with turban, long and somewhat scraggly beard, and his hands folded over... what appears to be... a BOMB! Somebody nuke them!