Ultra Radiation-Hard, Ultra-Dense, Fast Nonvolatile GaAs Random Access Memory

Electro-Optek proposes to develop a radiation-hard, non-volatile random access memory using an epitaxial InSb Hall element fabricated on gallium arsenide (GaAs) in conjunction with a thin-film layer of permalloy. The permalloy layer serves as the non-volatile memory storage medium while the InSb Hall element acts as the high-speed memory readout. The RAM can be built by very large scale integrated-circuit (VLSI) technology. The densely-packed memory cells will be integrated to high electron mobility transistor circuits previously processed on the GaAs. By virtue of InSb's high mobility and extremely fast and low noise HEMT driver, an access time less than 5 nanosecond and a packaging density greater than 1 M bit/cm2 are achievable; these characteristics are superior to those of the state-of-the-art static, non-volatile RAM. Because the magnetization of the permalloy is not affected by high-energy radiation with a semi-insulating substrate, this RAM is ultra-radiation hard.