This unorthodox memory design takes advantage of properties found in batteries to store data at extraordinary temperatures.

Everspin’s EM064LX HR and EM128LX HR MRAM devices solve the memory problems. Built for extreme environments, they offer high endurance, wide temperature tolerance, and long-term data retention. Both devices are AEC-Q100 Grade 1 qualified, operating from -40°C to +125°C, and provide 10-year data retention at 125°C. They also undergo a 48-hour burn-in to ensure extra reliability margin, giving designers predictable, dependable memory.

With 64- and 128-megabit densities and sustained read/write speeds of 90 Mbytes/sec, these devices support applications where data integrity is critical. The Quad Serial Peripheral Interface (QSPI) delivers 133 MHz single transfer and 90 MHz dual transfer rates, providing high bandwidth for data-intensive tasks while maintaining MRAM’s known reliability.

“From deep-earth drilling to space exploration, our high-temperature memory devices could lead to advanced computing where other electronics and memory devices would falter,” says Deep Jariwala, leader at the School of Engineering and Applied Science. “This isn’t just about improving devices; it’s about enabling new frontiers in science and technology.”

The team developed a device that’s classified as non-volatile, meaning it retains the information stored on it without needing an active power supply the like of which is used daily in consumer electronics in any device with a hard drive or flash drives. However, unlike other traditional silicon-based flash drive devices that start to fail at around 200° Celsius (392° Fahrenheit), the researchers designed theirs using a material known as ferroelectric aluminum scandium nitride (AlScN).

The researchers explain that AlScN confers a storage benefit by virtue of its ability to retain a given state of electrical state—the “on” or “off” representing 1s and 0s of digital data—after an external electric field is removed and at significantly higher temperatures, among other desirable properties.

In particular, nitride ferroelectric NVM, particularly in wurtzite-structured nitrides and oxides, appears to be the most promising technology. However more work needs to be done with these memories, particularly in the on/off ratio.

It should be noted that for these high temperature applications traditional silicon substrates won’t work. For these applications wide bandgap semiconductor materials are required such as SiC and GaN, especially to support device operation at 850C or higher.

The chart below shows feature size scaling trends for regular commercial semiconductors and high temperature semiconductor devices. Packaging and interconnect as well as technical issues and particularly the low demand for high temperature electronic devices limit the feature size and thus the achievable density for semiconductors operating at very high temperatures.

This unorthodox memory design takes advantage of properties found in batteries to store data at extraordinary temperatures. Data is stored by moving negatively charged oxygen atoms between two layers inside the memory, a semiconductor tantalum oxide and metal tantalum. These oxygen atoms are transferred between the two (different) tantalum layers through a solid electrolyte that behaves like a barrier, keeping the oxygen atoms from bouncing between one layer and the other.

The future of computing might even involve entirely new chip designs. By combining this heat-resistant memory with powerful processors, scientists envision a new era of "non-silicon" computers. These machines could be ideal for data-intensive tasks like artificial intelligence (AI), especially in harsh environments where current silicon-based systems struggle.

This research signifies a significant leap forward. It holds the promise of powerful AI processing on distant planets and a new wave of exploration fueled by ultra-durable computing technology.

 By - Aaradhay Sharma