Indispensable component for large-volume image processing

There is no doubt that the sophistication offered by these latest digital devices would not have been possible without developments in the CPU (central processing unit), image pickup devices, and software. However, semiconductor memory also plays a key role in promoting their evolution. Recent research and development is mainly concerned with image processing, which therefore necessitates an increase in speed and capacity of semiconductor memory to achieve efficient processing of large-volume data such as high-resolution still or motion pictures. For this reason, an increasing number of the latest digital devices are adopting high-performance DRAM.

For example, the rapid-fire shooting performance of digital cameras was previously limited by the write speed of removable (nonvolatile) memory: the higher the resolution (the larger the image file size per frame), the smaller the number of pictures that can be taken continuously, as well as other factors. The latest models use high-speed, high-capacity DRAM as temporary storage—making a larger volume of image data storable in their body before writing it to memory cards—which significantly improves rapid-fire shooting performance.

Likewise, DRAM is incorporated into an increasing number of high-performance camcorders and mobile phones that have motion picture shooting and playback functions. To handle high-definition video, which contains about five times the information as that of a conventional TV broadcast, high-definition TVs and high-end DVD/HDD recorders also use DRAM. In these devices DRAM plays a key role in performing high-speed storage and transfer of large-volume data. Further, high-performance DRAM contributes greatly to the fast screen-switching speeds demanded in car navigation systems, for example.

Features of major types of semiconductor memory used in PCs and electronic devices