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BiCS FLASH is KIOXIA’s branded 3D NAND technology. It stores data as electrical charge in memory cells, then reads that data by sensing each cell’s threshold voltage. Unlike planar NAND, BiCS stacks memory cells vertically, adding capacity without arranging every cell side by side.
What BiCS FLASH is
BiCS FLASH is KIOXIA’s name for its 3D vertical NAND flash technology. In planar NAND, cells are arranged side by side across a surface. In 3D NAND, cells are built in vertical layers, like floors in a building, to fit more cells into a given area. KIOXIA says it announced BiCS FLASH in 2007 to address the manufacturing-cost challenge of stacking cells. Its company chronology lists commercialization milestones at 48 layers in 2015, 96 in 2018, 112 in 2020, and 162 in 2022; those milestones are not a complete list of generations or an indication of the newest products available today. KIOXIA’s BiCS FLASH explanation describes the structure and history.
How the vertical structure is made
The stack alternates plate-shaped control-gate electrodes with insulating layers. Many vertical holes are opened through the stack, and charge-storage material and a column-shaped electrode are formed inside them. Each point where a gate plate meets a vertical column forms a memory cell.
KIOXIA calls this batch-processing approach “punch and plug”: the gate plates are stacked first, then holes are made through the stack and the column and charge-storage structure are formed across the layers. The company says this method reduces manufacturing cost; layer count alone does not establish a chip’s cost or performance.
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How NAND stores and reads data
A NAND cell stores electrons in an insulated charge-storage film. Applying a high voltage to the control gate moves electrons into the film; applying a high voltage from the silicon-substrate side moves them out. The charge remains stored when power is off, which lets flash memory retain data without continuous power. KIOXIA’s NAND explanation describes this basic operation.
Reading a cell’s state
Stored charge changes a cell’s threshold voltage—the voltage needed for current to flow through it. During a read, the device applies a selected voltage and senses whether the cell conducts. In KIOXIA’s simplified example, a cell holding electrons has a higher threshold voltage and does not conduct at the chosen read voltage, while a cell without those electrons does. Those distinguishable states encode data.
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This is a simplified view of a cell, not a complete SSD read operation. Real products use sensing and error-management circuitry to interpret data across the memory array. NAND refers to the way memory cells are arranged in series, an organization that supports dense arrays. A complete SSD also depends on peripheral circuitry, its controller, firmware, and implementation; NAND alone does not determine the finished drive’s behavior.
How layer count and bits per cell affect capacity
There are two distinct ways to increase NAND capacity: stack more cells vertically, or store more bits in each cell by distinguishing more threshold-voltage states.
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- More layers: increases the number of cells in the vertical direction.
- More bits per cell: allows each cell to represent more data states. KIOXIA defines SLC as one bit per cell, MLC as two, TLC as three, and QLC as four.
In a simplified encoding model, four distinct states can represent two bits, while sixteen states can represent four bits. A cell holding more bits can raise capacity and reduce cost per stored amount, but the device must distinguish more closely spaced voltage states. KIOXIA says higher bits per cell require slower reading and writing and have shorter lifespan than lower-bit alternatives. This is a general design tradeoff, not a specific endurance rating for every TLC or QLC drive; actual behavior depends on product design, controller, workload, and management techniques. KIOXIA’s bit-per-cell explanation covers these formats and tradeoffs.
As an example of the capacity potential, KIOXIA’s technology overview describes a 4 TB single package using BiCS QLC and a 16-die stacked architecture. The page does not state a year for that example, and it should not be read as the specification of every QLC package. KIOXIA’s technology overview provides the example.
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What a BiCS generation’s specifications tell you
Generation labels and layer counts describe particular technologies or products; they are not interchangeable performance ratings. For example, KIOXIA’s 2023 technical summary for generation 8 reports 218 word lines and the use of CBA (CMOS directly Bonded to Array) and OPS (On Pitch SGD). For its discussed 1 Tb TLC product, the company reports a 3.2 Gbps data-transfer rate outside the chip, a 40 μs internal read time, 205 MB/s program throughput, and a density of 18.3 Gb/mm². These are vendor-reported figures for that product and context, not neutral cross-vendor benchmarks. KIOXIA’s 2023 technical summary gives the figures.
KIOXIA’s product overview also describes generation 9 512 Gb and 1 Tb TLC devices and generation 10 with 332 layers. Generation and availability details can change, so check the individual product’s current specifications. Generation 8’s 218-word-line figure and generation 10’s 332-layer claim describe different contexts, not one combined device. KIOXIA’s BiCS FLASH product overview describes the generations.
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Where BiCS NAND is used—and how to compare drives
KIOXIA names automotive applications, compact PCs, cloud servers, and hyperscale data centers. It also says its SSD portfolio uses BiCS FLASH for client PCs, enterprise servers and storage, and cloud data centers. NAND is also used broadly in products such as memory cards and USB drives, but the consulted manufacturer information does not identify which BiCS generation is in every retail model.
When comparing finished SSDs, compare the exact model and capacity rather than relying on a NAND brand or layer count alone. Useful specifications include:
- Interface and workload performance
- Endurance rating
- Power requirements
- Warranty
- Price
KIOXIA’s manufacturer pages do not provide a controlled, like-for-like comparison of BiCS with other vendors’ NAND. They therefore do not establish that one NAND brand or layer count is categorically faster or more reliable. KIOXIA’s product overview describes its product portfolio and applications.
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