The component, called Static Random-Access Memory, or SRAM, allows the Department of Defense to address “big space” satellite needs to support warfighter and customer needs.

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s investment in radiation-hardened components pans out with Texas Instruments’ newest release – a commercially available 16 Mb radiation-hardened memory component.

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AFRL Leads Innovation with Texas Instruments Release

Published Jan. 9, 2012
By Eva Blaylock, AFRL/RVOT
Space Vehicles

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico -- The Air Force Research Laboratory's investment in radiation-hardened components pans out with Texas Instruments' (TI) newest release - a commercially available 16 Mb radiation-hardened memory component.

The component, called Static Random-Access Memory, or SRAM, allows the Department of Defense to address "big space" satellite needs to support warfighter and customer needs. More than 2000 hours of failure-free life testing have been conducted and an additional 2000 hours are planned.

The SRAM was officially released as a "Quality Manufacturer's Line" rated part.

Silicon Space Technology (SST), working with AFRL and TI, proposed to demonstrate an innovative approach for manufacturing radiation hardened high-density SRAMs for space applications by adding two proprietary RH modules plus a simple stacked capacitor structure to TI's baseline 130nm process flow. SST has solved the major space radiation problems, Single-Event Effects, Total Ionizing Dose and Dose Rate, by combining process modifications and layout design innovation. The proven-in-silicon approach enables production of radiation-hardened integrated circuits at leading-edge circuit densities within any commercial silicon foundry, for use in both terrestrial and space systems.

The component, called Static Random-Access Memory, or SRAM, allows the Department of Defense to address “big space” satellite needs to support warfighter and customer needs.