Infineon Technologies, the largest DRAM maker in Europe, today launched its first NAND flash chips based on TwinFlash technology. The 512Mb flash device has been developed by Infineon Technologies Flash GmbH & Co. KG, a joint-venture of Infineon Technologies and Saifun Semiconductors. Initial production has started in Infineon’s 200mm DRAM Dresden facility.

TwinFlash is realized in Saifun NROM technology, a non-volatile memory technology developed by Saifun Semiconductors, and proven in the past as basis for NOR-Flash and EEPROM, which stores two locally separated bits in one transistor cell. Compared to competing single-bit-per-cell floating gate technologies with equivalent process structures TwinFlash offers 40% smaller die sizes due to its two-bit-per-cell approach and less mask levels resulting in a competitive production cost position.

By the end of 2004 more than 10 000 wafer starts per month on 0.17 micron technology are planned. The next TwinFlash technology node with feature sizes of only 0.11 micron is being developed to further improve cost position and to enable larger densities of up to 2Gb.

The 512Mb flash chips from Infineon comes in a TSOP package and is targeting the removable solid state storage market with products like SD-, MMC-, Compact-Flash-Cards or memory sticks mainly used for Digital Still Cameras and PDAs.