Production of NAND Flash memory starts with creating a silicon wafer, which is then coated with a thin layer of silicon dioxide. This layer serves as the insulator for the memory cells.
Next, a polysilicon layer is deposited on top of the silicon dioxide layer. This layer forms the control gate of the memory cells. The polysilicon layer is then patterned using photolithography, a process that uses light to transfer a pattern onto the wafer.
After the patterning process, the wafer undergoes a series of etching and deposition steps to form the memory cells.
The final step is testing and packaging the NAND Flash memory chips. This process requires a high level of precision and cleanliness to ensure the quality and reliability of the NAND Flash memory.
List of NAND Flash Memory Manufacturers
As a result of the complex production process, there aren’t that many manufacturers worldwide with the capacity to produce high-end NAND chips suitable for SSDs. The major ones are:
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics is a global leader in NAND Flash memory manufacturing. The South Korean tech giant has been at the forefront of NAND Flash memory technology since its inception, continuously pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Samsung’s NAND Flash memory products range from consumer-grade memory cards and SSDs to enterprise-grade storage solutions.
Kioxia (Toshiba Memory)
Formerly known as Toshiba Memory, Kioxia is the Japanese manufacturer that originally invented NAND Flash memory. Kioxia is renowned for its innovative BiCS FLASH technology, a 3D flash memory architecture that offers enhanced speed, reliability, and capacity compared to traditional 2D NAND Flash memory.
Kioxia’s NAND Flash memory products are used in a wide range of applications, from mobile devices and consumer electronics to data centers and industrial systems.
Western Digital (SanDisk)
Following its acquisition of SanDisk, Western Digital is now another key player in the NAND Flash memory market. Much like Kioxia and Samsung, WD/SanDisk produces flash memory chips for everything from memory cards and USB flash drives to enterprise-grade SSDs.
SK Hynix
SK Hynix is a South Korean manufacturer of NAND Flash memory and other memory products. Historically, SK Hynix has mainly provided NAND in an OEM capacity but has since started selling SSDs under its own brand name in the consumer market.
Micron Technology
Micron Technology is an American manufacturer of NAND Flash memory. In 2006, Micron and Intel founded the company IM Flash Technologies, which manufactured 3D XPoint memory for use in Intel’s Optane range of SSDs. Due to cost constraints and increased competition from NAND, 3D XPoint production eventually ceased and IM Flash Technologies was acquired by Micron.
Micron’s consumer products are marketed under the Crucial brand name.
Others
Other than the “big five”, Flash memory manufacturers are few and far between. One of the younger companies is Yangtze Memory Technologies, a Chinese manufacturer that has established itself as a significant player in the NAND memory market. Another is Powerchip, also known as PSMC – a Taiwanese company not specialized in NAND but owner of substantial manufacturing capacity.