CXMT’s 4F² DRAM Plan Jolts Korean Chipmakers
As China’s largest memory semiconductor company, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), announced the release of server DRAM applied with the next-generation DRAM cell structure ‘4F² (Four F Square)’ new technology within this year, the global semiconductor market has plunged into a fierce storm.The h
China's largest memory semiconductor company, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), has unveiled a new server DRAM technology called '4F² (Four F Square)' designed with the next-generation DRAM cell structure. This announcement has caused a significant disturbance in the global semiconductor market, as server DRAM technology is a core territory dominated by a few Korean and American giants such as Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Micron.
The introduction of the 4F² technology has led to concerns that the memory technology gap between South Korea and China is closing faster than expected.
Fears of a narrowing memory technology gap were quickly realized, with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix experiencing record plunges of 7% and 10% respectively. In response to the crisis, Song Jae-hyuk, President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions (DS) Unit, addressed the 28th Semiconductor Exhibition (SEDEX) in Seoul on October 14, confirming that Samsung Electronics is also working on developing the 4F² technology.
He indicated that the domestic industry has also been preparing the corresponding technology from various angles.
The 4F² technology, which drastically reduces the area occupied by a single memory cell, is expected to improve the theoretical integration density by 50%. However, it is not yet clear whether this technology will lead to ultra-high integration, as the line width of the 4F² cell, currently at 15 nanometers (nm), is still larger than the 12.2-nanometer level of the 6F² cell used by the domestic memory industry.
Additionally, China's lack of access to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment has forced them to rely on multi-patterning, which introduces numerous challenges, including current leakage, the floating body effect, and wafer bonding. As a result, the initial yield of the 4F² technology is projected to be below 10%.
Despite these challenges, South Korean semiconductor leaders have shown a sense of concern about the narrowing time gap with China. They are now focusing on ultra-gap technologies for high-value-added AI memory, such as the HBM5 conceptual model and integrating AI computation functions into memory, in order to counter China's pursuit in the next-generation DRAM competition.
Written by urgent.news from BusinessKorea's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
