Toshiba and SanDisk Develop 8-Gigabit NAND Flash Memory Chip With 70 nm Process Technology

TOKYO, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Toshiba Corporation and SanDisk(R) Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today announced an 8-gigabit(1) (Gb) NAND flash memory chip fabricated with 70-nanometer (nm) process technology that ushers in the new era of gigabyte chips: 1-gigabyte(2) data storage capacity on a single chip. The new chip was today reported at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2005 in San Francisco.

The new NAND flash memory utilizes multi-level cell (MLC) technology that allows two bits of data to be stored in one memory cell, doubling memory capacity. Innovative circuit design techniques were utilized to improve chip area efficiency resulting in an 8Gb chip size that is less than 5 percent larger than the previous generation 4Gb chip on 90 nanometer. At 146 millimeter square, the 8Gb chip has an areal density of 6 billion bits or 3 billion transistors per square centimeter (20 billion transistors per square inch of silicon).

Performance is maximized by adoption of fast writing circuit techniques, which reduce data write times and support a fast write speed of 6-megabytes per second(3). Read speed of 60MB/sec., which is 40% faster than previous generation, has been achieved by a combination of burst mode and high read bandwidth.

Toshiba and SanDisk plan to start production of flash memory products based on the new 8 Gb NAND flash memory technology this summer. In CY 2006 this 8Gb chip will become the production workhorse for the joint venture between Toshiba and SanDisk, bringing significant cost reductions to the flash storage products of the two companies. The companies also plan to commercialize a 16Gb NAND flash memory IC that stacks two of the 8Gb NAND flash memories in a single package.

Toshiba and SanDisk are technology innovators and market leaders in NAND flash memories -- the highly versatile, non-volatile memory integrated into digital consumer and other products. Toshiba has consistently led the way in promoting advances in NAND flash chip capacity and performance, while SanDisk is a leader in flash data storage card products and a pioneer in high density MLC flash memory chip technology.

About Toshiba Corporation

Toshiba Corporation is a leader in the development and manufacture of electronic devices and components, information and communication systems, consumer products and power systems. The company's ability to integrate wide ranging capabilities, from hardware to software and innovative services, assures its position as an innovator in diverse fields and many businesses. In semiconductors, Toshiba continues to build on its world-class position in NAND flash memories, analog devices and discrete devices and to promote its leadership in the fast growing system-on-chip market. Toshiba has approximately 161,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of over US$55 billion.

About SanDisk Corporation

SanDisk is the original inventor of flash storage cards and is the world's largest supplier of flash data storage card products using its patented, high-density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA and has operations worldwide, with more than half its sales outside the U.S.

   (1)  When used herein in relation to memory density, gigabit and/or Gb
        means 1,024x1,024x1,024 = 1,073,741,824 bits.  Usable capacity may
        be less.  For details, please refer to applicable product
        specifications.

   (2)  When used herein in relation to memory density, gigabyte and/or GB
        means 1,024x1,024x1,024 = 1,073,741,824 bytes.  Usable capacity may
        be less.  For details, please refer to applicable product
        specifications.

   (3)  Read and write speed may vary depending on the read and write
        conditions, such as devices you use and file sizes you read and/or
        write.  (For purposes of measuring write speed in this context,
        1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes).

Information in this press release, including product specifications, content of services and contact information, is current and believed to be accurate on the date of the announcement, but is subject to change without prior notice. Technical and application information contained here is subject to the most recent applicable Toshiba product specifications. In developing designs, please ensure that Toshiba products are used within specified operating ranges as set forth in the most recent Toshiba product specifications and the information set forth in Toshiba's "Handling Guide for Semiconductor Devices," or "Toshiba Semiconductor Reliability Handbook." This information is available at http://www.semicon.toshiba.co.jp/eng/prd/common/indes.html or http://www.chips.toshiba.com/.

All trademarks and tradenames held within are the properties of their respective holders.

CONTACT: Toshiba Corporation, Corporate Communications Office,
03-3457-2105, URL: http://www.toshiba.co.jp/contact/media.htm; or Mike Wong of
SanDisk Corporation, +1-408-548-0223, mwong@sandisk.com

Web site: http://www.chips.toshiba.com/