Esther Spanjer, M-Systems

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Esther Spanjer, M-Systems
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Competing Technologies HDD vs Flash

• Flash Advantages
• Volume/GB
• Mass/GB
• Shock resistance
• Power Consumption

• HDD Advantages
• Total Capacity
• /GB
• Read/Write Speed
• No re-writing limits

John Buttress,IDC
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Key Specs How Good is Good Enough?

• Example MP3 Players with HDD
• Read ahead into DRAM for 2032MB (6sec), then
  power turned off.
• Non-op shock ruggedness, and power consumption
  minimized.

1.0 HDD Flash Memory
Performance
Read avg (MB/s) 5.0 4.0
Write avg (MB/s) 5.2 5.0
Power (mW)
Idle 60 2.9
Read (256K blocks) 577 82
Write (256K blocks) 575 217
Ruggedness
Non-Operating Shock 2000g 2000g
Operating Shock 200g 2000g
Rewrites Unlimited2 Limited 100300K cycles
1.0 HDD avg. usage specs are in-class.
Andy Higginbotham, Western Digital

• Notes
• Source JP Morgan, Oct-04.
• HDD manufacturers do not specify a limit to the
  number of times bits can be re-written.
• Above are industry average specifications
  individual performance by manufacturer/product
  may vary.

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Moores Law Continues with Floating Gate NVM
1986/1.5µm

• Visibility for scaling of floating gate clear to
  32 nm
• Forms high hurdle for new technologies to leap

1988/1.0µm
1991/0.8µm
1993/0.6µm
1996/0.4µm
1998/0.25µm
2000/0.18µm
2002/0.13µm
2004/90nm
90 nm cell is 1/476th of 1.5 µm cell
2006/65nm
2008/45nm
Charles Lee, INTEL
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Flash Can Make HDDs Better Too

• Hybrid Drive for Longhorn chipset
• Digital Consumer Ideas for HDD/Flash Synergies

Don Barnetson, Samsung
Microsoft, WinHEC 2004
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System Cost vs. of MB
100x
10x
Jim Handy, SEMICO
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Format Miniaturization

• Smaller, sub-Pico sliders
• Challenging flyheight parameters
• Refined flexure designs, capabilities
• Improved processing, robustness
• Smaller disks and actuator system
• Higher effective stiffnesses
• Secondary focus on windage, resonance

Jeffry Bennin, Hutchinson
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Maximized Box Capacity

• High areal density heads
• ESD robustness
• Anti-static coatings
• Low resistance slider/preamp grounds
• Transmission line performance
• Impedance matched lead designs
• Low loss materials and designs
• Active system components
• High lead counts for dynamic fly-height actuators

Jeffry Bennin, Hutchinson
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Summary and Conclusions

• Today, 1 Inch HDD Offer Best /GB, 1/3 X Flash
• NAND Flash Rapid Technology Progress, AD Exceeds
  Moores Law
• Future /GB Flash Has Potential Toward Lower /GB
  But Continued Rapid Technology Progress In Flash
  Doubtful
• HDD Must Accelerate AD Growth, Flash Must
  Increase Rewrite Cyles
• gt1.0 Inch FF HDD, High Risk Competitive With
  Flash, But Mobile Phone Volumes Worth The Risk
• Same Component Technology (Heads and Media) High
  Volumes Equals Low Cost
• In The Mobile/Consumer Market, Flash and SFF HDD
  Will Continue To Coexist

Ed Grochowski