How solid-state drives are made
An SSD has no moving parts, just flash chips and a small processor running firmware.
- stations
- 6
- things upstream
- 67
- raw sources
- 22
- steps from the ground
- 9
The short version
A solid-state drive is a small circuit board carrying flash memory chips and a controller. Machines solder the parts on, the board is loaded with firmware that decides where every file lives, and the drive is tested under heavy loads. Aluminum or plastic cases enclose it for installation.
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Print solder on the board
A stencil deposits solder paste on the pads of a bare circuit board.
Goes in -
Place flash and controller
Pick-and-place machines set flash memory chips and the controller on the paste. The controller is an embedded processor that runs firmware.
Goes in -
Bake to melt the solder
The board travels through a reflow oven, and the paste melts into joints that hold every part.
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Load the firmware
Firmware is written to the controller. It spreads writes across all cells to even out wear and manages how data moves between the host and the flash.
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Stress-test the drive
Drives are filled and read back repeatedly, since flash cells wear out after a limited number of program-erase cycles.
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Enclose the drive
The board is fitted into a case sized to match the connector standard.
Goes in
Worth repeating
- Flash cells store between one and four bits each, from single-level to quad-level cells.
- SSDs do not suffer from mechanical failure, yet firmware bugs are one major cause of data loss.
- Since 2009, most SSDs have used NAND flash instead of volatile DRAM.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and solid-state drive starts as these 22 raw sources.
Everything it is made of See it on the map
Open the whole family tree
Where it goes next
Solid-state drive feeds 2 lines directly.
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Sources
Cite this page: "How solid-state drives are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/solid-state-drive