Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. and United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) have agreed to jointly develop 40nm resistive random access memory (ReRAM) technology that will be mass produced in UMC’s foundries.
ReRAM is a non-volatile memory that features high-speed processing with a low power consumption that operates similarly to mainstream flash memory. Panasonic has already been in mass production of 0.18um ReRAM that was successfully implemented into 8-bit microcontrollers used in portable medical and healthcare devices. Panasonic recently received reliability certification on memory arrays for 40nm ReRAM.
Under the agreement, Panasonic’s 40nm ReRAM will be integrated with UMC’s CMOS process in its foundries for incorporation into embedded memories as a replacement of flash. The companies say this will improve the performance of electronics in applications such as IC cards, wearables and Internet of Things devices.
Panasonic plans to begin shipping samples of 40nm ReRAM based on UMC’s process in 2018, and the non-volatile memory will be offered to other semiconductor manufacturers and suppliers for their designs as well.
