By Kim Yoo-chul
Samsung Electronics, the world's largest maker of memory chips used in computers and other digital products, is energizing its efforts to remain at the forefront in next-generation semiconductors.
The Korean technology giant enjoys an undisputed leadership in the market for DRAM memory chips, where it held a 34 percent share at the end of the second quarter.
And the company says it doesn't intend to rest on its laurels, as it is planning to dramatically invest in applying higher-density technologies to its chip making process.
The most immediate goal, according to Samsung officials, is to advance its ability for memory production processes below 10 nanometers.
Nanotechnology is gaining increasing importance in semiconductor technologies. A nanometer measures just one billionth of a meter, and a lower measurement in the chip manufacturing process means thinner electric lines in the chip-circuit, which would equal boosted storage capacity in each unit space.
Right now, Samsung's main production processes for DRAM chips, widely used in personal computers, are at 30 nanometers, but the company has been looking to increase its portion of chips produced using 20-nanometer technology.
The 10-nanometer process will become conventional in the company's next-generation chips, Samsung officials told The Korea Times, Friday.
Samsung is also recruiting research personnel devoted to next-generation semiconductor technologies such as those related to phase change memory (PRAM), said the sources.
"Chipmakers are facing tough challenges to make their chips smaller and 10-nanometers or below has been the main objective. Samsung can't afford to be casual in progressing higher-density technologies for producing more efficient and powerful chips," said a senior Samsung researcher, who didn't want to be named.
"Chips as small as the size of a molecule will one day replace the current transistors, once semiconductor makers reach their upper technological limit in photolithographic techniques related to producing thinner circuits."
Kwon Oh-hyun, chief of Samsung's semiconductor division, repeatedly stresses the importance of getting ahead in the next-generation memory game, as the technological limits in higher-density DRAM processing may be reached sometime around 2015.
"We feel a sense of urgency to secure core and original technologies for the development of next-generation memory chips," said Kwon.
Samsung has recently begun producing new multichip packages (MCPs) equipped with 512-megabit PRAMs for use in mobile phones and other devices.
PRAMs are a non-volatile type of computer memory and offer data storage performance three times faster than NOR flash memory chips. Market analysts believe that PRAM, which combine the non-volatile strengths of flash and high-speed capabilities of DRAMS, will eventually replace NOR flashes in electronic products.
"We are now initially focusing on sharpening its PRAM-related technologies to overtake the rival Nymonyx in the NOR sector and to enjoy the first-mover advantage in the next-generation memory sector," said another Samsung researcher.
"Memories for consumer gadgets today are at a cross-roads as mobile applications require diverse memory technologies," said Jun Dong-woo, an executive vice president at Samsung's memory sales and marketing.
Despite the moves, Samsung faces challenges to quickly expand storage capacity in PRAMs as conventional flash memory chips are expanding their capacity to terra-byte.
Still, MRAM and FRAM _ which have been regarded as the next step memory chips _ are still in their early stages, even for development.