- Researchers find a faster way to record deep holes for 3D NAND
- Crio-Cabladado technique based on plasma doubles engraving speed, improving efficiency
- Engraved faster could Cheaper average storage, but the impact of the real world is TBD
Flash Nand 3D memory is different from the NAND of a single traditional layer because the memory cells stretch vertically to put more storage in smaller spaces.
The process involves carving precise and deep holes in alternative layers of silicon oxide and silicon nitride, and this has always been a bit slow, so far.
A team of researchers from LAM Research, the University of Colorado Boulder and the Plasma Princeton Physics Laboratory (PPPL) of the United States Department of Energy have developed a plasma -based technique that can record the deep and narrow holes required for the 3D NAND memory a lot. faster rate, an article published in the Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A claims.
Will end users benefit?
The equipment approach uses a cryogenic engraving process using hydrogen fluoride plasma instead of the traditional method.
“The cryographic engraving with the hydrogen fluoride plasma showed a significant increase in the engraving rate compared to the previous crio-spring processes, where you are using separate sources of fluorine and hydrogen,” said Thorsten Lill De Lam Research. Using the new method, the engraving rates of the layers rose from 310 nanometers per minute to 640 nanometers per minute, rather than duplicating efficiency.
“The engraving quality seems to have also improved, and that is significant,” Lill added.
The researchers also analyzed the impact of phosphorus trifluoride. Adding it during the process quadrupled the engraving speed for silicon dioxide, but only had a marginal impact on the silicon nitride layer. They also analyzed ammonium fluorosylic, a chemical that is formed during the engraving process when silicon nitride reacts with hydrogen fluoride. This slows down the engraving process, but it was found to add water countered this.
While technical achievement must be applauded, practical implications are less clear. Faster and better engraving rates can simplify and accelerate production, but it remains to be seen if these savings are reduced to better or cheaper storage devices.
“Most people are familiar with Flash Nand memory because it is the type that is on memory cards for digital cameras and thumb units. It is also used on computers and mobile phones. Make this type of memory more denser, so that more data can be packaged in the same footprint, it will be increasingly important as our data storage needs grow due to the use of artificial intelligence, “said Igor Kaganovich , a PPPL main research physicist.
