SUNNYVALE, Calif.--Silicon Storage Technology Inc. here today announced a silicon foundry agreement with Taiwan's Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp., which will produce SST's 0.18- and 0.13-micron flash memory products.
The two companies said initial production will begin in the fourth quarter of 2001, with volume fabrication following in early 2002.
Vanguard is transforming itself from a DRAM company to a supplier of memory foundry services. The company said it will produce SST's advanced self-aligned SuperFlash memory technology at its 200-mm wafer fab in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
"Attracting SST's business is of strategic importance to us," said Paul Chien, president of Vanguard. He said SST's memory products are requiring "a high-volume, sustainable supply of wafers." Chien added, "Our new vision is in complete synergy with SST's requirements and we anticipate a successful, long term relationship."
Sunnyvale-based SST launched its self-aligned SuperFlash cell in May 2000. SST said its technology was the industry's first split-gate architecture flash memory cell to offer self-alignment. Traditional split-gate flash memory cells require built-in tolerances to align different layers of the memory cell, and that results in larger cell size as well as higher manufacturing costs, according to SST.
"This foundry relationship allows SST to secure additional deep sub-micron capacity which is strategically important for us as we expand into higher density flash markets," said Bing Yeh, president and CEO of SST. "By utilizing our self-aligned SuperFlash cell, we are on a very aggressive migration path to cutting-edge process geometries of 0.18 micron and below."
Terms of the flash foundry pact were not released.
