Aug 10, 2001 
Samsung Electronics has developed a multi-chip package (MCP) device that stacks a 64Mb NAND-type flash memory chip and an 8Mb static random access memory (SRAM) chip together. The company is the first to ship engineering samples of this device and expects that it will be the optimum memory solution for third generation (3G) mobile phones.
The device incorporates a full-CMOS 8Mb SRAM and 64Mb NAND-type flash memory, providing high memory capacity and small footprints. The SRAM serves as a buffer/working memory, while the NAND flash memory stores data.
Wireless handsets currently have 16Mb or 32Mb NOR-type flash memory built-in, but the wireless Internet access capabilities of 3G handsets necessitates an increased flash memory capacity to store music files, still picture data and other applications. Samsung# new MCP device offers both the memory capability and the low-cost benefits of NAND-type flash memory. As a result, this NAND-type flash memory consumes much less silicon than NOR-type flash to achieve the same bit density. It is widely used in large nonvolatile data storage applications like digital cameras and handheld audio players.
In addition, NAND-type flash has writing data rates that are more than 20 times faster than the speed for NOR-type flash. As 3G phones will look more like PCs or PDAs, writing performance will be considered just as important as reading.
Samsung# new device will be 8mm wide, 13mm long and 1.2mm thick and is packaged in a 69-signal Ball Grid Array (BGA) with a 0.8mm pitch. The NAND flash shares I/O# and other control pins with the SRAM, minimizing additional pins. The pin-out accommodates future memory expansion of SRAM to 64Mb and NAND-type flash memory to 512Mb.
The device will be set to operate at between 2.4 and 3.0 volts for both the SRAM and flash memory. For interfacing with chipsets operated at lower power, a scaleable I/O interface is also provided. The low-power 8Mb SRAM is designed with 0.18-micron technology providing an access time of 85 nanoseconds, while a 0.22-micron design rule is applied to the 64Mb NAND-type flash memory.
In a move to extend its product offering, Samsung Electronics will introduce MCPs with 32Mb unit transistor RAM (UtRAM) and 64Mb NAND-type flash memory chips in the first quarter of next year. The company also plans to boost the NAND-type flash memory capacities in its MCPs to 128Mb and 256Mb.
The worldwide wireless handset market is estimated at 420 million units this year, expected to grow some 30 percent annually to reach 850 million units by 2003. The market for 3G handsets is forecast to be 50 million units in 2003, which bodes very well for sale of NAND/SRAM MCP devices.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., with 1999 sales revenue of US$22.8 billion is a world leader in the electronics industry. Headquartered in Korea, the company has operations in about 50 countries with 54,000 employees worldwide. The company consists of three main business units: Digital Media, Semiconductors and Information & Communications Businesses.
