MIL-SPEC NVRAM has magnetic personality

e2v Technologies plc introduced the EV2A16A magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), an extended-reliability version of a Freescale product.

By Control Engineering Staff February 20, 2008

Chelmsford, Essex, UK —

e2v Technologies plc

introduced the EV2A16A magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), an extended-reliability version of the

Freescale Semiconductor

MR2A16A. The high-density standalone 4Mbit MRAM non-volatile memory device meets requirements of full operational performance across the entire military temperature range (-55 °C to +125 °C) for avionic, defense, and aerospace applications. The

Control Engineering “Ask Charlie” blog has the answer to: What’s an MRAM?

“The EV2A16A is the first concrete result of the recent alliance between e2v and Freescale on MRAMs,” says Thierry Gouvernel, general manager of e2v’s Broadband Data Converters, Microprocessors & Services (BMS) business unit. “This device is a significant addition to existing semiconductor solutions for embedded computers that need to survive extreme environmental conditions.”

MRAMs are non-volatile memory devices that use the

giant magnetoresistive (GMR) effect

2007 Nobel Prize in Physics

.

“Freescale’s MRAM technology provides outstanding non-volatile performance in rugged applications,” says David Bondurant, MRAM product manager at Freescale. “We are delighted to partner with e2v to serve high-reliability markets with requirements more extreme than our standard products.”

e2v says that the combination of non-volatility and speed is key for applications that must permanently store and retrieve critical data quickly, and that the device is engineered to help protect the data when unexpected events occur(such as a power loss) without the need for an external battery back-up. The device operates at SRAM speeds with symmetrical 35 ns read and write cycles. Its standard SRAM interface allows seamless system integration with standard memory controllers.

The company says the MRAM is available in a standard 44-lead TSOP type II package and is tested for extended (-40 °C to +110 °C) and military temperature ranges.

— C.G. Masi , senior editor Control Engineering News Desk Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free .