MRAM memories stand up to heavy ion abuse

Although Spintec’s latest generation of MRAMs were not necessarily designed for use in radiation-hardened electronics, recent tests on the UCLouvain (Belgium) cyclotron showed that the magnetic tunnel junctions inside the devices can withstand heavy-ion bombardment. Two high-density memory technologies, STT-MRAM and SOT-MRAM, were tested and their main operating parameters measured. The impact of the heavy ions was not significant and did not jeopardize the stability of the memories’ electrical properties. Certain magnetic properties were affected, but this was due to the temperature and not the irradiation itself. Up next: tests on complete MRAM memories.

Contact: gregory.dipendina@cea.fr