RRAM manufacturing

China-based wireless IC designer New Radio Tech (NRT) introduced a new Ultra-WideBand (UWB) chip, the URSAMAJOR 82660, that integrates RRAM. We assume that the embedded RRAM technology was provided by Hefei Reliance Memory, but we're not certain.

The company says that integrating the RRAM into their chip is a major achievements, and it allows them to reduce the chip's footprint by 40%, while being highly cost effective compared to conventional chips that are based on external Flash or integrated eFlash solutions.

Hprobe, developer of testing equipment for magnetic devices, announced a new addition to its product line, the RF Pulse Module, the world's first commercially available testing system to both collect statistics of error rate of the memory unit cell and take a deep look into switching dynamics of resistive memories.

Hprobe's IBEX system

Hprobe's new module supports production of Resistive RAM, an also various MRAM memories. The module can be used as a stand-alone system, and it is also compatible for use with the company's IBEX product line.

Infineon says that its next generation Aurix TC4x microcontrollers will adopt RRAM memory, instead of the traditional embedded flash. The company expects the first samples of such chips to ship to customers before the end of 2023.

Infineo's next-gen Aurix chips will be produced at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), using its 28nm CMOS process. The company says that RRAM memory will be more energy efficient at 28nm compared to the currently-used embedded flash memories. The RRAM memory will also enable higher disturb immunity and it allows for bit-wise writing without need for erase, which allows for superior performance over embedded flash. The cycling endurance and data retention are comparable with flash.

Singapore's A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME) announced that it has strengthened its collaboration with Picosun Group in the area of next-generation memories.

Picosun provided ALD solutions and consultancy to IME to assist in the development work on FeRAM and ReRAM technologies.Picosun's ALD equipment supports 12" wafer processing.

Strategic Elements announced that it has achieved significant technical improvements in its Nanocube Memory Ink technology at the University of New South wales (UNSW). The company is now incorporating these advancements into a transparent demonstrator that will be ready by Q3 2019.

SER says that it has developed new fabrication methods for its memory ink and its production onto plastics. SER has filed patents for these methods.

Applied Materials unveiled new high-volume manufacturing solutions for next-generation memories - Including MRAM, PCRAM and RRAM. The Endura platform integrates multiple materials engineering technologies along with on-board metrology to create new films and structures.

Applied’s Endura Impulse PVD platform for PCRAM and ReRAM production includes up to nine process chambers integrated under vacuum along with on-board metrology to allow the precise deposition and control of the multi-component materials for these emerging memories.

Researchers at Moscow's Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) developed a method of depositing the functional layers of an RRAM memory cell using high quality ALD coating. The researchers report that ALD enables a controllable growth of oxygen deficient oxides.

The MIPT researchers used production-proven ALD equipment made by Picosun. The researchers now want to see whether the ALD process can be scaled to an industrial-scale production process.

Samsung's semiconductor chief Kim Ki-nam says that Samsung is developing next-generation memory technologies, such as MRAM and RRAM. According to Kim "Samsung will commercialize MRAMs and ReRAMs according to our own schedule. We are on our way and will be ready soon"

Samsung targets MRAM as an update to DRAM memory, while RRAM will be used as a storage memory to replace NAND.