(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| UMC Prepares for System-on-a-Chip Trend
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August 21, 1998 (TAIPEI) -- United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) began
R&D; of higher-level dynamic random access memory (DRAM) products to
prepare for the future trend of system-on-a-chip.
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System-on-a-chip technology is the most advanced in Europe.
The United States has been slower in this field, and application in Japan
is mostly seen in consumer electronics.
It is expected that in the future, embedded flash memory and embedded
memory can be integrated into one simple system-on-a-chip.
UMC has adopted 0.3-micron manufacturing technology in its 64Mb DRAM
production.
The company is scheduled to start mass production of 64Mb DRAMs using
0.25-micron technology around the end of 1998.
UMC also is researching 0.21-micron technology.
As for embedded products, the company is integrating DRAMs with logic
products so that the two can be made compatible.
UMC has begun mass production of 0.35-micron embedded DRAMs.
Currently, UMC is devoted to the R&D; of 0.25-micron embedded DRAMs.
Because production costs for embedded DRAMs are higher than those of
traditional DRAMs and logic products, embedded DRAMs must be applied
to products with high added-value. Its functions and performance must
be special enough for such high production costs.
Embedded memory is a link to the system-on-a-chip. Embedded static random
access memory (SRAM) manufacturing has been standardized, but it is
more difficult to produce embedded DRAMs.
(Commercial Times, Taiwan)
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