Rambus In-line Memory Module (RIMM)

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Samsung Semiconductor has completed development of the world's first Rambus In-line Memory Module (RIMM), which facilitates installation of the 64M Rambus DRAM in a PC, Intel, Compaq, Dell, and other major makers of semiconductors. The RIMM allows makers to integrate several chips on a single board, making the Rambus DRAM more practical to use. In March, Samsung Semiconductor completed a prototype Rambus DRAM Direct (RDD) component that is used either on the RIMM or separately from it. The samples of RDD shipped to Intel in May operate at between 900M and 1G per second, the world's fastest memory product to date. The slower RDD specification set forth by Rambus, Inc. is established at 600M and 800M per second.

Samsung Semiconductor has invested aggressively in the development of next-generation, super-fast memory products, resulting in the RIMM. In June, Samsung Semiconductor presented a technical thesis on 64M Rambus DRAMs, which are low voltage, low power-consuming elements, at the prestigious VLSI Circuit Symposium. Through the presentation, Samsung Semiconductor demonstrated the excellence of its technology to both industry and academia. Assembly of the RIMM is accomplished with the micro ball grid array (BGA) packaging technology. To date, this state-of-the-art assembly technology has been used with ASIC chips and certain telecommunications devices. However, Samsung Semiconductor has managed to mass produce the micro BGA package for DRAMs and SRAMs as well.

The market for Rambus DRAMs will take shape in 1999. Intel, which holds at least 70% of the world CPU market that shapes the PC, has selected the Rambus chip as the main memory for next-generation PCs. Therefore, the Rambus chip will quickly become one of the mainstream products of the world DRAM market starting in 1999. Reference Data Rambus DRAM. This sophisticated memory device is very fast yet operates on low voltage and consumes very low system power. As such, it is a leading next-generation device.

Importantly, Samsung Semiconductor's newly developed RIMM can process data at between 900M and 1G bit per second. A single 64M RDD has processing speeds of between 1.8G and 2.0G Bytes-per-second, 25 times faster than the EDO DRAMs produced in Japan. This is also ten times faster than the 64M synchronous DRAM being used as the standard in Intel's PC-100. Future processing speeds are capable of handling the data equivalent of about 128,000 newspaper pages each second.

The Rambus DRAM is divided into Low Latency, Concurrent, and Direct versions, each with different processing speeds. The use of the first two versions (Low Latency and Concurrent) has been restricted to areas such as graphics. By contrast, Samsung Semiconductor's new Rambus DRAM Direct is expected to have significant market potential as a main memory device.

The sophisticated micro ball grid array (BGA) package enhances product performance and integration. It is rapidly being applied to new areas, including ASICs, telecommunications ICs, high-speed SRAMs for workstations, graphics, and CPUs. Unlike plastic packages, which require wire bonding, micro BGA uses beam lead bonding. As such, it has a surface area at least 30% smaller than the conventional TSOP package.

Samsung Semiconductor, Contact: Richard Haas, 408-544-4124