Rad-Hard Flash Memory Heads Into SpaceRad-Hard Flash Memory Heads Into Space

With a slew of future manned and unmanned space missions on the horizon, Infineon Technologies AG has announced what is reportedly the industry’s first radiation-hardened-by-design 512 Mbit QSPI NOR Flash memory for space and extreme environment applications. The device offers a fast quad serial peripheral interface (133 MHz) and among the highest density, radiation, and single-event effects (SEE) performance available in a fully QML-qualified non-volatile memory for use with space-grade FPGAs and microprocessors.

The memory device was funded in part by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL) and jointly developed with Microelectronics Research Development Corporation (Micro-RDC), is based on Infineon’s field-proven SONOS (Silicon-Oxide Nitride-Oxide-Silicon) charge gate trap technology and operates at speeds up to 30 percent faster than lower density alternatives. 

“The extension of Infineon’s 512 Mbit NOR Flash memory to its rad-hard memory portfolio is further testament to our commitment to deliver highly reliable and high-performance memories for next-generation space requirements,” said Helmut Puchner, Vice President, Fellow, Aerospace and Defense, Infineon Technologies, in a statement. “This collaborative effort with AFRL and Micro-RDC advances the industry state-of-the-art to address the extreme environments encountered in space applications with technology that will improve performance in critical satellite functions.”

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Depending on image size, the 512 Mb rad hard NOR Flash can typically store 2 boot code images and can load a ~200Mb bitstream in 0.42 seconds. The 512 Mb rad hard NOR Flash supports a single QSPI interface in a x4 mode and a single channel SPI mode for legacy support.  Both interfaces are supported by modern FPGA devices and utilize standard instruction sets.

Infineon’s SONOS technology provides endurance of up to 10,000 P/E and up to 10 years of data retention. The 133 MHz QSPI interface provides fast data transfer rates for space-grade FPGA and processors. A ceramic QFP (QML-V) package occupies a 1 x 1 in. board area, and an even smaller footprint plastic TQFP (QML-P) measuring 0.5 x 0.8 in. is available. The device offers reportedly the highest density TID/SEE performance combination for space FPGA boot code solutions and the QML-V/P with DLAM certification meets the most stringent industry qualifications.

A typical use case for this device includes configuration image storage for space-grade FPGAs and standalone boot code storage for space grade multi-core processors.

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Infineon’s 512 Mbit QML-qualified NOR Flash is available now.