10nm class NAND controllers surface

TDK launched their GBDriver RS4, a new controller for embedded solid state disks with support for 10nm-class and 20nm SLC/MLC NAND flash memory. The controller supports 8KB/page and 4KB/page structures, and promises access speeds of up to 180MB/s. It can be used to configure disks with a capacity from 512MB to 1TB. Shipments will start in January 2013 and TDK will reveal a number of NAND modules (SSDs and other products) featuring its GBDriver RS4 from April 2013.

Along with high-speed control, a read retry function has been added which is essential for ensuring data reliability when using the latest MLC type NAND flash memory. Together with the auto-recovery, data randomizer, and auto-refresh functions of the existing GBDriver series, this design accommodates also future developments in the flash memory format. Data reliability is significantly enhanced by the highly acclaimed GBDriver power interruption tolerance algorithm. For customers requiring an even higher level of data reliability, the Enhanced ECC function makes it possible to expand ECC to 71 bits per 512 byte block. 

The sophisticated static wear leveling algorithm averages the write and erase process over all blocks of the memory area, thereby drastically improving the lifespan of installed flash memory. SMART (self-monitoring & analysis reporting technology) provides information about the number of times that memory blocks have been erased (programmed), which facilitates quantitative lifespan management of flash storage.