Infineon launches rad hard, non volatile F-RAM
Believed to be the first radiation-hardened (rad hard), serial interface ferroelectric RAM (F-RAM) for the space industry, a space-qualified serial interface F-RAM which provides 2Mbit density non-volatile storage for extreme environments is available from Infineon Technologies.
It is the first in Infineon’s family of rad hard, non-volatile F-RAMs. The devices have virtually infinite endurance with no wear levelling, with 10 trillion read / write cycles and 120 years data retention at 85 degrees C, says Infineon. Operating range is 2.0V to 3.6V.
The F-RAMs are intended for data logging of mission critical data, telemetry storage, and command and control calibration data storage. They can also be used to provide boot code storage for microcontrollers, FPGAs and ASICs.
They F-RAMs are a direct replacement for serial NOR flash and EEPROMs and are more energy efficient than non-volatile EEPROM and serial NOR Flash devices for space applications, says Infineon.
The QML-V qualified F-RAMs deliver nearly infinite endurance, instant non-volatile write technology and over 100-year data retention to space applications.
Serial protocols are increasingly used in satellite and space applications, with multiple suppliers now offering SPI capable space-grade processors, FPGAs and ASICs. Support for the industry standard serial peripheral interface (SPI) protocol means the F-RAMs support a smaller footprint and lower pin count.
The lowest operating current is 10mA maximum, with aw low programming voltage of 2.0V.
The rad hard F-RAMs are also suitable for avionic and other applications that require military standard temperature grades reaching from -55 to +125 degrees C.
Supplied in a 16-in ceramic SOP packaging, the DLAM QML-V qualified, 2Mbit rad hard, non-volatile serial interface F-RAMs are available now.
