Z-RAM始祖关门大吉，美光受益

成立于2002年的Innovative Silicon公司，开发了一种称为Z- RAM的浮体单晶体管存储技术，当时它宣称比传统DRAM更好。然而今天，公司已经关门大吉。 公司即将卸任的首席营运官Michael Van Buskirk，在他的LinkedIn的个人状态上写到 “Innovative Silicon公司的主要销售和技术人员：举行认购法人大会，以便加快资产和人员的转移。” 但Van Buskirk并没有提到谁买下了公司，不过有迹象表明，美光科技公司（美国爱达荷州，博伊西）至少是其中一个主要受益者。 这家私人持有，有风险投资支持的公司，由Pierre C. Fazan和Serguei Okhonin于2002年在瑞士洛桑创立，随后在加州的圣克拉拉设立总部。 目前两个公司的网站已经不能访问，联系电话无法接通。但是这两个网站的网址，都已经注册到美光名下。 此外，Innovative Silicon前任首席技术官和主席Fazan，在LinkedIn社交网站上的身份是美光科技比利时微电子研究中心的工程经理，公司位于比利时勒芬。他这一身份自2010年9月就被公布了。 Z-RAM弃SOI，取垂直双栅浮体而代之 Innovative Silicon的前首席科学官Okhonin，是ActLight的创始人。 Z-RAM技术最初是基于硅绝缘体（SOI）晶圆的，这种晶圆比体CMOS晶圆更昂贵，并且尚未成为行业主流。 事实上，Van Buskirk自己证明了最初的Z-RAM技术“既不可扩展也不可靠”，并与同事们共同开发了替代的体硅技术，也就是该公司后来开发的一种适合于体硅独立存储器应用的低电压浮体DRAM存储单元。 Innovative Silicon和 Hynix Semiconductor在2009年的VLSI技术研讨会（VLSI Technology Symposium）上，联合发表了基于体硅的Z-RAM论文；在2010年的VLSI技术研讨会上，发表了另一篇关于垂直双栅浮体的Z-RAM存储单元的论文。 目前还不清楚美光或Hynix 是否会继续研究垂直双栅浮体Z-RAM技术。 Innovative Silicon获得了三轮风险投资，这为他们总共募集了4,700万美元，投资机构包括：Auriga Partners、Index Ventures、Highland Capital Partners、Austin Ventures和 Wellington Partners。看来美光可能已经获得了Innovative Silicon的相关专利。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 参考英文原文：Micron gains as floating-body firm closes， by Peter Clarke

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{pagination} Micron gains as floating-body firm closes Peter Clarke LONDON – Innovative Silicon, a 2002 startup that developed a floating-body single-transistor memory it called Z-RAM that it claimed could scale better than DRAM, appears to have closed. The outgoing chief operating officer Michael Van Buskirk states on his LinkedIn profile that he was the "key operational and technical corporate officer throughout the sale of Innovative Silicon: pre-sale corporate road-show, as well as facilitating asset and personnel transfers." Van Buskirk does not state there who bought the company assets but there are indications that Micron Technology Inc. (Boise Idaho) is at least one key beneficiary. The privately-held, venture-backed Innovative Silicon was founded in 2002 by Pierre C. Fazan and Serguei Okhonin in Lausanne, Switzerland and was subsequently headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Two websites for the company (www.innovativesilicon.com and www.z-ram.com) no longer appear to work and the last listed phone number is unobtainable. However, both website URLs are now registered to Micron. In addition Fazan, previously chief technology officer and chairman at Innovative Silicon, is now listed on the LinkedIn social networking site as a Micron Fellow and as working as an engineering manager for Micron in the IMEC research facility in Leuven, Belgium. He has been in post since September 2010. Okhonin, previously chief scientific officer at Innovative Silicon, is the founder of a startup called ActLight Inc. The Z-RAM technology was originally based on the use of silicon-on-insulator wafers, which are more expensive than bulk CMOS wafers and have yet to become mainstream within the industry. The company subsequently developed a low-voltage floating-body DRAM memory cell suitable for bulk silicon stand-alone memory application. Indeed, Van Buskirk credits himself with having determined that the original Z-RAM technology was "neither scalable nor reliable" and having co-invented the alternative bulk silicon technology. A joint paper between Innovative Silicon and Hynix Semiconductor Inc. on a bulk form of Z-RAM was presented at the VLSI Technology Symposium in 2009 and another paper on the vertical double-gate floating body Z-RAM memory cell was presented at the same conference in 2010. It is not known whether either Micron or Hynix is continuing to work on the vertical, double-gate floating body Z-RAM technology. Innovative Silicon raised $47 million in three rounds of venture funding from firms including: Auriga Partners, Index Ventures, Highland Capital Partners, Austin Ventures and Wellington Partners. It would seem likely that Micron has picked up Innovative Silicon's patent portfolio.