For decades, logic semiconductors have faced a paradox: performance improvements have been limited by the inability to reduce the gate thickness of transistors without compromising reliability. At the same time, premium products are becoming more demanding in terms of performance than ever before in order to remain competitive.

A number of disruptive technological innovations have been developed to address these limitations including High-k/Metal Gate (HKMG), which replaces the SiON gate oxide material in the gate of the transistor in DRAM memory with a thin high-k film.

Today, HKMG remains the most significant innovation in logic transistor technology, allowing further scaling to be achieved without degrading reliability or causing current leakage.

SK hynix has dramatically improved transistor performance, including the use of HKMG in its new 1anm LPDDR5X DRAM. This enables aggressive scaling and high efficiency even at low power settings.