What is a “Multilayer Cell”?

MLCFrom time to time I get questions from investors in the memory business asking: “What is a multilayer cell?”

The answer is: “There is no such thing: It’s a misstatement.”

The term “MLC” has, by a number of people, been mistranslated to “multi-layer cell.”  The misunderstanding appears to have originated in the financial community.  People in the flash memory business never use the term at all.

Yes, we talk about MLC, but to us the term means “multilevel cell”.

A multilevel cell is a cell that uses varying voltage levels to represent different states.  With four voltage levels the resulting four states on a single cell can be turned into Continue reading “What is a “Multilayer Cell”?”