With nearly 10,000 satellites now zipping around in low Earth orbit, someone has to give them memory that won't fry mid-download. Compared to their geostationary cousins, these LEO satellites are cheap, fly in swarms, and don’t need the hardened gear used for more hostile cosmic environments.
Infineon Technologies has shoved out a new line of radiation-tolerant memory gadgets tailored for the NewSpace market – that quirky patchwork of startups and commercial outfits hoping to monetise the final frontier without NASA holding their hand.
The line-up includes low-power, radiation-tolerant F-RAMs, QSPI NOR flash at 256 Mbit and 512 Mbit, and the first pSRAMs built for this space. These chips bring high reliability and performance in a package that keeps size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-c) on a tight leash.
Infineon claims the F-RAMs work across a MIL-grade temperature range of -55°C to 125°C, while the flash and pSRAM handle -40°C to 125°C. Radiation-wise, the pSRAM takes top marks with a 100 krad(Si) rating, followed by F-RAM at 50 krad(Si) and NOR flash at 30 krad(Si).
These components are aimed at short-haul missions where throwing thousands of satellites into space is cheaper than building one super-resilient beast.
The pSRAM is the most curious of the bunch, acting like static RAM on the outside while pretending to be DRAM on the inside. Infineon reckons it's perfect for high-throughput data buffering in compact, power-efficient systems.
Tacking onto the memory line, Infineon’s IR HiRel outfit is flogging radiation-tolerant power chips that also cater to the NewSpace crowd. These include 60 V and 150 V N- and P-channel MOSFETs, AEC-Q101-qualified, and packed in plastic ruggedness for surface or through-hole mounting.
They’re rated for 30 krad(Si) and are pitched at those happy to skip the aerospace gold-plating for a ride lasting two to five years in orbit.
Infineon is now gambling that the combination of lower radiation, lower budgets, and a thirst for space-based IoT will keep its space gear in hot demand as private satellite constellations keep piling up.
