U61000

U61000 was a 1 -Mbit DRAM circuit from the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was developed the VEB Carl Zeiss Jena in 1986 in the VEB Microelectronics Research Center Dresden (ZMD ) and should be converted in 1990 into series production at the plant ESO III of VEB Microelectronics " Karl Marx " Erfurt ( KME ). The U61000, the international type corresponded 511000 was manufactured in CMOS technology with 1.2 micron feature size and housed in a 18 -pin DIL -Plast ( U61000D ) or ceramic housing ( U61000C ). Internally, it was organized with 1024K × 1 bit and had a RAS access time of 100 to 120 ns. The memory chip should be used especially in the Robotron computers K 1820, K 1840 and EC 1835.

History

By Decision of 11 February 1986, the SED leadership for further development of microelectronics (project " micron " ) in the GDR the ZMD was given the task to develop a 1- Mbit memory circuit within three years and in 1990 the series production introduce. Based on the experience in the production of 64- Kbit ( U6164 ) and 256- Kbit ( U61256 ) DRAM circuits based on a technology from Toshiba was started in Dresden with the development of the 1- Mbit memory circuit. To this end, Dept. XIV ( SWT ) have been procured documents necessary VLSI manufacturing technology at Siemens by the HVA. Siemens had previously licensed the technology from Toshiba for its own products. In their conversion into mass production, the Siemens engineers had to overcome great difficulties. According to the developer at ZMD these documents Subsequent investigations were not used because these papers " ... did not fit into our concept, which was heavily tailored to the Jena equipment ... The Stasi was very disappointed that the scientists use their ignored so vile. " the CIA suspects could not be substantiated at the chip developers of Siemens that the Dresdner megabit chip was built with the help of Siemens documentation.

Because of the CoCom embargo technology necessary for the production of special technical equipment (TSA ) and the computer technology needed for development could not be legally bought on the world market. Therefore, a large part of the TSA as wafer steppers, electron beam writer, LPCVD coating equipment, Ionenstrahlätzer and assembly lines at Carl Zeiss Jena VEB Elektromat Dresden itself was designed and built. Other important TSA as plasma etcher and high current implanters were originally purchased under a cooperative agreement from the Soviet Union. Since the Soviet Union but could not deliver the required quality, the facilities, it was decided by the SED leadership, this TSA and powerful computers for circuit development, contrary to the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany ( Foreign Trade Law, Military Government Law No. 53 " Foreign exchange management and control of freight transport " the three Western occupying powers ) and other Western states over the range commercial Coordination ( CoCo) to import the Ministry of Foreign Trade. However, these imported equipment had to be significantly optimized by the engineers of the ZMD and technically modified to use them for the intended purpose can.

On August 10, 1988 could be detected by the test equipment, the first operational and error-free development pattern of the 1- Mbit memory chips. These patterns were effective publicity to Erich Honecker passed on 12 September 1988 ( see picture). For the development of the memory circuit, the collective of the research center in 1988 was awarded the National Prize of the GDR. At the Leipzig Spring Fair in 1989 the U61000 the gold medal was awarded.

On the ZMD pilot line 1988 about 5,000 specimens were manufactured from U61000. 1989 was followed by a further 30,000 megabit circuits that were produced at a yield of up to 20 %.

The development work was completed in the spring of 1990, a transition into series production in the new factory ESO III KME Erfurt was no longer, as the TSAs were not in the necessary number available. An already planned development of a 4- Mbit memory circuit was not started because also hardly prepared for later mass production were to create.

With the removal of Technology boycott in the wake of economic, monetary and social union in July 1990 an economic production of this memory circuit was no longer possible because the user from the domestic computer industry, the equivalence types on the world market could now much cheaper and relate in large numbers. With the introduction of the Deutschmark as currency in the GDR, the traditional export markets in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe collapsed.

Gallery

U61000D under glass (now in the Deutsches Museum Bonn )

U61000D dimension

Open U61000C

Memory module with MSC20 U61000C, Technical Collections Dresden