Technology will be put to use in first half of 2004 Toshiba and SanDisk on Wednesday announced the development of a high-density NAND flash memory cell structure which will allow the manufacture of 4Gb flash chips using a 90-nanometer semiconductor manufacturing process.Current NAND flash memory cell structures are difficult to manufacture using processes more advanced than 110 nanometers, the companies said in a joint statement. The new technology, which allows each memory cell to carry two bits of information instead of one bit and minimizes electrical interference, will eliminate that bottleneck, it said.The two companies will put the new technology to use for the production of 2Gb and 4Gb flash chips during the first half of 2004, the statement said. Production of these chips will take place at the companies’ FlashVision Japan joint-venture facility at Toshiba’s Yokkaichi operations site, it said. The new cell structure has an area of 0.041 square microns and can be scaled to design rules smaller than 90 nanometers, according to the statement. In chip manufacturing, the number associated with a manufacturing process technology refers to the size of the smallest feature that can be created on a chip. Software Development