System Integration of Non-Volatile Ferroelectric Memory for High Temperature Applications

The battlefield of the future and, to a large extent, today, is based upon capturing data; and the ability to act upon this data. Data provides the foundation of everything from intelligence, situational awareness, and force readiness. Based on the foundation of data, disruptive technologies like machine intelligence (MI) and agile capability development (ACD) are possible. Technologies such as these are critically needed to enable our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ecosystems to defend against the power competition returning from China and Russia. We must have a truly digital warfighting system, and digitizing our warfighters exposes environmental challenges that must be overcome. A critical technology in need of technological advancements in extreme environment electronics is advanced turbines and platforms. Turbine engines are facing a crunch – in terms of power, efficiency, and form factor. Nothing sets the parameters of performance of advanced bombers, fighters, and autonomous vehicles like the power required. Getting the most out of existing platforms requires larger power budgets in a smaller form factor. The challenge is only getting worse as we attempt to project operational power further. Advanced hypersonic platforms are redefining the envelope within which control systems must operate. While turbine engine designers have been able to thermally manage electronics in new advanced propulsion platforms, there is no place to exchange heat with. The key challenge to enabling such next-generation distributed control, is creating thermally hardened subsystems – computerized sensor and control nodes that can operate reliably under high vibration at these elevated temperatures (~200?C to 1000oC), from 5,000 to 50,000 hours or more. At the core of these next-generation control nodes capable of acquiring data is a central processing unit (CPU). Equally important is having rugged memory to accompany this processing unit. Making volatile (data) memory work in this regime is well understood; What is critical is the ability to have reliable program memory, in the form of non-volatile memory (NVM) at such extreme temperatures (200°C - 500°C). Without critical program memory, an engine control or sensor is ‘mindless’, it would not be able to boot, perform actions, and run in an autonomous manner. An opportunity exists to align the high temperature performance of SOI, SiC, and AlScN to a relevant need within a notional thermally hardened CPU system. NVM integrated with proven rugged electronics greatly increases the ability to acquire and save critical data in rugged environments. Furthermore, it allows a wider range of complex programs and safety measures that will enable a more automated CPU. A key part of this project is the co-design, fabrication, and assembly of Ozark IC’s thermally hardened packaging techniques with AlScN memory arrays, and integration of commercially fabricated SOI and SiC JFET-R integrated circuits.