Samsung Elecs’ DDR5 chip image (image provided by Samsung Electronics)
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) –Just three weeks ago, on November 29, local media reported the independent development of LPDDR5 DRAM by a Chinese semiconductor company, causing a sense of crisis. ChangXin Memory Technologies, a prominent Chinese DRAM semiconductor company, claimed to have independently developed and mass-produced LPDDR5 DRAM memory chips.
If these reports hold true, the gap with Samsung has been narrowed to just four years, according to local media.
Subsequently, alarming news emerged suggesting leaks of Samsung’s core semiconductor technology to a Chinese entity, intensifying the shockwaves. Prosecutors have obtained a document file suspected to have been transferred to a Chinese company by a former Samsung Electronics manager, who is currently facing an arrest warrant.
This file allegedly encompasses all eight major processes of semiconductor production, consisting of 600 steps, as reported by MBC.
The prosecution’s findings include a PowerPoint presentation containing a hand-drawn DRAM process diagram. Prosecutors speculate that ChangXin Memory, established in 2016, may have utilized the technology outlined in the document when constructing a factory in 2020 and initiating DRAM production.
Among the purportedly leaked technologies, the most critical is deposition technology, considered the fundamental and core technology of the semiconductor process. Deposition technology involves applying a thin film, less than one micrometer thick, to the surface of a wafer, the semiconductor’s material, to impart electrical properties.
This technology significantly influences the miniaturization of semiconductors and is treated as highly confidential by various companies.
“If this technology is leaked, it’s akin to thousands of PhDs collectively surrendering decades of their achievements and research,” remarked Rhie Kungwon, a professor at Korea University’s Department of Display and Semiconductor Physics, in an interview with a media outlet.
The individual suspected of stealing the technology, referred to only as Kim, purportedly received substantial compensation from the Chinese company. Prosecutors estimate the damages incurred in this case to be as high as 2.3 trillion won.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
