Toshiba’s new quadruple-level 3D cells could be the next big thing in low-cost flash memory
Toshiba announced today that it has successfully developed what it claims to be the world’s first QLC — quadruple-level cell — 4-bit flash memory in a 3D flash device.
That’s pretty big news for the future of flash memory, creating even higher storage density at cheaper prices. Flash memory (very, very loosely) works by using a series of floating gate transistors with a charge value that is either assigned a “0” or “1” — one bit. These memory blocks are either arranged in a two-dimensional plane (planar NAND) or stacked in a more space efficient column (3D NAND, which is still relatively new).
To maximize storage, either of those memory blocks — whether in a 2D plane or stacked — can be divided up into more charge levels for even more…
