World’s first 256Gb 48-layer BiCS FLASH features innovative 3D-stack structure

Toshiba has unveiled its new generation of BiCS FLASH, a three-dimensional (3D) stacked cell structure flash memory - a structure stacking Flash memory cells vertically on a silicon substrate to realise significant density improvements over planar NAND Flash memory, where cells are formed on the silicon substrate. The new device is the world’s first 256-gigabit (32gigabytes) 48-layer BiCS device and also deploys industry-leading 3-bit-per-cell (triple-level cell, TLC) technology, says the company. BiCS FLASH is based on a leading-edge 48-layer stacking process that surpasses the capacity of mainstream two dimensional NAND Flash memory while enhancing write/erase reliability endurance and boosting write speeds. The new 256Gb device suits diverse applications, including consumer SSD, smartphones, tablets and memory cards, and enterprise SSD for data centres. Since announcing prototype BiCS FLASH technology in June 2007, Toshiba has continued development towards optimisation for mass production. To meet further growth in the Flash memory market in 2016 and beyond, Toshiba is proactively promoting migration to BiCS FLASH by rolling out a product portfolio that emphasises large capacity applications, such as SSD. Sample shipments will start in September, says the company.