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Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 10:42 pm
by Apoptosis
Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Legit Reviews was recently invited to take a tour of IM Flash Technologies (IMFT) in Lehi, Utah to see how NAND Flash memory is manufactured. Read on as we get into a bunny suit to see how 25nm NAND Flash memory wafers are made and then find out what this shrink means to you as a consumer. That 1TB SSD might not be a dream after all.
This shrink is important as the new 25nm process reduces chip count by 50 percent compared to previous process generations, allowing for smaller, yet higher density designs and greater cost efficiencies. This is great news as that means IMFT will be able to get twice as many NAND Flash chips per wafer. Intel said that performance would be comparable to 34nm speeds today, but that endurance and reliability would be improved. Since devices like SSDs can be built using less 'chips' now you can expect to see SSD capacities increasing in the months to come. Micron even mentioned that 1TB 2.5" SSDs will be a possibility in 2010 thanks to the move down to 25nm.
Article Title: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1179/1/
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 1:15 am
by Zertz
That's awesome Nate!
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 10:17 am
by jnanster
IIncredible facility.
Thanks for the cool look inside.
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 10:23 am
by Apoptosis
My pleasure. It was a trip to Utah that lasted just 24 hours on the dot, but it changed my views on a number of things. I've always wanted to tour a fab and finally got the chance!
It almost reminded me from scenes from the Terminator movie series where the robots are building robots... It really is that automatic. If it never the automated system didn't need maintenance and never broke down human interaction isn't needed that much in the manufacturing process.
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 10:41 am
by bubba
Anyone break a wafer like the tools on American Choppers did?
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:58 pm
by Baggs
Nanorobots/machines are just around the corner.
50 years for the very first?
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:40 pm
by gwolfman
I'm jealous.
Thanks for sharing.
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:00 pm
by DMB2000uk
bubba wrote:Anyone break a wafer like the tools on American Choppers did?
Those were my first thoughts when I head Nate was visiting one
Thanks for the write up Nate, was very cool to see in a fab.
Dan
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:30 pm
by Apoptosis
come on guys I'm not that rough with things!
I always wear the ground strap
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 10:46 am
by FZ1
And PCPer gets the nod from Engadget...
http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/03/inte ... ur-de-fab/ 
Woohoo...LR now linked for "more coverage"
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 5:29 pm
by DMB2000uk
Are you in this group photo Nate?
Dan
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 5:33 pm
by Apoptosis
of course... I'm the fifth from the right and looking away from the camera ;)
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 5:37 pm
by DMB2000uk
You took all the fun out of guessing!
But I thought that was you anyway
Dan
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 5:40 pm
by Apoptosis
DMB2000uk wrote:You took all the fun out of guessing!
But I thought that was you anyway
Dan
I got the solo pic of me in my facebook pics if you get bored
Re: Inside Intel and Micron's 25nm NAND Fab - IMFT
Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 6:17 pm
by DMB2000uk
Pretty cool, they tell you how much the wafer was worth that they let you hold?
Dan
PS. Had a look through your other pics and didn't realise there were still untagged pictures of me in your photos. Wonder if I'll get any comments from my UK friends about the gun one