This section provides an overview for memory ics as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 12 memory ic manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked memory ic companies as of November, 2024: 1.TT Semiconductor, 2.Lingto electronic Limited, 3.SK HYNIX INC..
Table of Contents
A memory IC is a semiconductor device that is responsible for recording data in a processor-based system.
Memory ICs can be broadly classified into ROM and RAM. ROM (read only memory) is memory that is limited to reading data written at the time of manufacture. However, ROM also includes devices such as EEPROM and flash memory, which allow data to be rewritten.
RAM (random access memory) is a memory that can write/read data at a high speed. RAM is limited to temporary data storage applications because the recorded data disappears when the power supply that drives the memory device is turned off.
There are two types of memory structures: SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) and DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), which allows a higher level of integration.
Memory ICs are used in combination with processors to store program data and retain data during arithmetic operations. Memory ICs are installed in all processor-equipped devices and computers, from cell phones, tablet terminals, and personal computers to mainframes.
Generally, ROM stores program data, and the processor performs various processes according to that program data. At that time, data and information to be temporarily stored are written in RAM. Since RAM data is frequently rewritten, it is important for RAM to operate at high speed.
EEPROM, which is classified as a part of ROM, is also used to write adjustment data and other data, especially in electronic devices. Flash memory is used as a storage element in memory cards and SSDs (Solid State Drives), taking advantage of its characteristics as a ROM that can achieve a large memory capacity and can be rewritten.
Memory ICs are equipped with a recording area in which many memory elements are arranged in an orderly fashion, address lines for specifying the data of individual memory elements, signal output lines for communicating the data of the memory elements to the outside world, and signal input lines for inputting data from the outside.
The processor used in combination with the Memory IC is also responsible for managing the data recording area of the Memory IC, so that when necessary data is read out, the data of that memory element is output to the signal output line by manipulating the address line. For data to be recorded in the memory, the address line is manipulated to specify the recording element, and the data is transferred to the signal input line.
The above is the flow of reading and writing signals to Memory IC. However, the internal circuit configuration and driving method of Memory ICs are completely different depending on the type.
Memory ICs can be broadly classified into ROM and RAM, each of which has several types.
Mask ROM
In mask ROM, a dedicated mask is fabricated according to the data to be written, and the data is written using this mask in the device manufacturing process. Therefore, the written data cannot be changed.
PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory)
A PROM is a write/erasable ROM that retains its memory contents even when the power is turned off.
EPROMs consist of an array of MOSFETs with floating gates, and data is written to them using a dedicated writing tool. However, these devices are rarely used today because they require ultraviolet irradiation when erasing data.
EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM) and flash memory are used instead. Both can be written or erased by receiving a control signal from a controller, but flash memory has become widely used in memory cards and other devices because of its structure that can achieve particularly large storage capacity.
The data is set to 0 or 1 depending on the presence or absence of a charge injected into the floating gate of the MOSFET. Since the injection and erasure of the charge is done using the tunneling effect, a high-voltage power supply circuit is built into the IC.
SRAM
SRAM uses a flip-flop circuit or similar device as the storage element, and once recorded, the contents are retained as long as power is supplied. Because it does not require a refresh operation like DRAM (see below), it consumes less power than a DRAM of the same memory capacity and can be read/written at high speeds.
However, the complex structure of the memory elements makes it difficult to achieve high density, and the unit manufacturing cost is high. Therefore, DRAM is suitable for applications where power saving and high speed are important. For example, it is often used as high-speed cache memory in computers, where it is placed between the processor and the main memory.
DRAM
DRAM uses one transistor and one capacitor to store data. In other words, the state of the capacitor with/without charge is defined as data 0/1. The transistor acts as a switch to accumulate charge in the capacitor.
The circuit configuration is simple, which allows for a high level of integration. However, because charge gradually leaks from the capacitor even when the switch is in the OFF state, data overwriting is periodically performed to prevent data corruption due to charge leakage. This is called a refresh operation, and is a function unique to DRAM.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Incorporated in 1965, Analog Devices, Inc. designs, manufactures, tests, and markets integrated circuits (ICs), software, and subsystems that leverage analog, mixed-signal, and digital signal processing technologies. The company provides data converter products, power management and reference products for power conversion, driver monitoring, sequencing, and energy management applications in the automotive, communications, industrial, and high-end consumer markets. In addition, the company provides digital signal processing and system products for high-speed numeric calculations. It serves clients in the industrial, automotive, consumer, instrumentation, aerospace, and communications markets.
Microchip Technology Incorporated was incorporated in 1989 and is headquartered in Chandler, Arizona. The company is a developer and manufacturer of control solutions for global markets including the automotive, industrial, communications, human-machine interface, and connectivity industries. The company’s products include microcontrollers, field-programmable gate array products, MOSFET and radio frequency products, and both wired and wireless communications products. The company’s services include wafer foundry and assembly services, test subcontracting manufacturing services, development tools for enabling system designers to program microcontrollers and processors, and timing system products.
AMIC Technology, founded in 1985 in Taiwan, is a manufacturer of memory integrated circuits, application-specific embedded memory, and other non-memory electronic components for the semiconductor industry. The company's memory IC portfolio includes SRAM, NOR FLASH, DRAM, and FIFO modules. AMIC Technology expanded its product line into non-memory products in 2012, which include light sensors, NFC components, RFID tags, and IP modules. The company also offers clients custom product design, engineering, and full-scale production of customized components.
Chiplus Semiconductor Corporation is a Taiwan based universal manufacturer of SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) products and LED IC’s (Integrated Circuit) which was established in 2002. Chiplus LED IC Technology is used in a range of applications and devices such as Automotive lighting, Street lights, Electronic video display panels and many more similar products. Their memory devices are used in ADDL modems, Network routers, CCTV cameras and parallel products. The company quality management system adheres within the standards of ISO9001:2015 certification for the following spectrum, design, manufacturing and sales of IC products and electronic components
Alliance Memory is a global fabless manufacturer of memory storage devices such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), DRAM(Dynamic Randomly Access Memory) and Flash Integrated Circuits (IC's). A fabless manufacturer company is a company where they design and market their hardware while they outsource the production of that hardware to a third party partner. Alliance Memory is a private organization which is headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, USA. Their products are mainly used in mobiles and embedded devices, automotive sector and in the medical field. They have received the ISO:9001 2015 certification.
Acme Chip Technology Co. Ltd., founded in 2008 and based in Shenzhen, China, is a distributor of electronic components that is ISO 9001 certified. Its products include sensors, power supplies, and optical inspection equipment sourced from several manufacturers, including Advanced Linear Devices Inc., Central Semiconductor Corp., and Fluke. The company also offers a large stock of electronic components, including obsolete components and old code chips that are always available for immediate shipment.
Texas Instruments Incorporated was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Texas Instruments is a producer of high tech equipment for industrial, automotive, personal electronics, communications equipment industries. Texas Instruments designs, manufactures, and sells semiconductors to electronics designers and manufacturers in the United States and internationally. Texas Instruments operates in two segments: analog and embedded processing. The Analog segment offers power products, including battery-management solutions, DC/DC switching regulators, power switches, linear regulators, voltage references, and lighting products. The Embedded Processing segment offers microcontrollers that are used in fields such as electronic equipment and digital signal processors for mathematical computations.
Infineon Technologies AG (Infineon) is headquartered in Neubiberg, Germany. Infineon designs, develops, manufactures, and markets semiconductors and related system solutions worldwide. Infineon’s automotive segment produces microcontrollers, discrete power semiconductors, IGBT modules, industrial microcontrollers, power and radar sensor ICs, SiC diodes, MOSFETs voltage regulators, comfort electronics, infotainment, powertrain, and security products. Industrial Power Control segment provides bare dies, discrete IGBTs, and driver ICs among other components. Power & Sensor Systems segment offers gas and pressure sensors, MEMS microphone chips, control ICs, and GaN power switches among others.
SK hynix Inc., founded in 1983 as Hyundai Electronic Industrial Co. Ltd., is a Korean manufacturer and supplier headquartered in Icheon, Gyeonggi, offering semiconductor devices. The company's product portfolio includes dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips, compute express links (CXLs), and solid-state drives (SSDs). The company also provides NAND storage, multi-chip packages (MCPs), and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors. These components are utilized across diverse sectors, including automotive, data centers, and networking applications for data processing. The company further develops Memory forEST (for Environment, Society, Tomorrow), a future initiative to provide more environmentally sustainable solutions for the information and communications technology (ICT) industry.
ROHM Semiconductor was incorporated in 1940 and is headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. ROHM manufactures and sells electronic components worldwide. ROHM operates through the segments ICs, discrete semiconductor devices, and modules. ROHM provides ICs comprising memory, amplifiers and linear, power management, clocks and timers, switches and multiplexers, logic, data converters, sensors and MEMS, display drivers, motor/actuator drivers, interfaces, communication and speech synthesis LSI, audio and video, and microcontrollers. ROHM also offers discrete semiconductor products include MOSFETs, bipolar transistors, and diodes; power devices, including power transistors and diodes, SiC power devices, IGBT, and IPM; passive devices, such as resistors, and conductive polymer and tantalum capacitors; and various modules among others.
Lingto Electronic Limited is a distributor of electronic components and wireless modules that was incorporated in 2022 in Hong Kong, China. The company stocks passive and active electronic components from brands such as Xilinx, Fairchild, and Altera, These include power management devices, logic integrated circuits, and electrolytic capacitors. It also offers wireless and GPRS modules, such as cell jamming detectors, vehicle tracking chips, and text-to-speech (TTS) modules. The company mainly markets to clients in electronic manufacturing, networking, and telecommunications operations.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | TT Semiconductor |
33.3%
|
2 | Lingto electronic Limited |
14.8%
|
3 | SK HYNIX INC. |
14.8%
|
4 | Analog Devices, Inc. |
11.1%
|
5 | Acme Chip Technology Co. |
7.4%
|
6 | Infineon Technologies AG |
7.4%
|
7 | Microchip Technology Inc. |
3.7%
|
8 | Chiplus Semiconductor Corp. |
3.7%
|
9 | Alliance Memory, Inc |
3.7%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the memory ic page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United States of America | 2 | 40.0% |
Taiwan | 2 | 40.0% |
Japan | 1 | 20.0% |