One million high resolution photos, 1,250 DVD films, or 500,000 audio files can be held within a space equal to a person's fingernail with a fully developed terabit NAND flash memory. Researchers at the state-run institute explained they developed the three-dimensional, terabit flash memory unit cell by placing layers of oxide, nitride and oxide (ONO), on top of the silicon nano-wires that act as conduits for electrons in the flash memory.
The Ministry of Science and Technology announced on March 12, 2007 that a team at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed the world's first 8 nanometer non-volatile flash memory unit cell by the merging of nanowires and silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon technology. A nanometer is equal to one millionth of a millimeter. Imagine how small 8 nanometers is. The team leader Choi Yang-kyu further noted that the invention could one day be built into a semiconductor chip.
The 8 nanometer flash memory unit cell challenged Samsung Electronics, who recently introduced 40 nanometer large cells. A new component is "only a fifth of its size and has 25 times more dense than the current title holder," Choi stated. Once a unit cell is created, it is used to create an array which in turn is made into a computer chip.
Choi claimed that not only is the new component well recognized for its high intensity, it will be able to reduce memory-related interference from nearby electronic components when fully developed into a working part.
Details of the breakthrough are to be made public at an international symposium of Very Large Scale Integration Technology at Kyoto, Japan on June 12.
The Science Ministry said that their next step will be to make products out of new 8-nanometer flash memory component so people in general may enjoy using them.