In logic, smaller is faster: less capacitance, shorter channels, and thinner oxides means faster switching. In memory, smaller means less space to store your b

In logic, smaller is faster: less capacitance, shorter channels, and thinner oxides means faster switching. In memory, smaller means less space to store your bits. I remember a quote from somewhere that with TLC at 20nm, you could lose only 1 ELECTRON PER YEAR from the floating gate to meet the memory retention spec. Also, NAND had smaller feature sizes than logic for some time, before they really hit the wall. They innovated a lot of advanced techniques like quad patterning for memory cells. It helps in memory that you are optimizing for one and only one cell.