High-density SRAM simplifies on-system satellite image processing

Infineon Technologies has launched its next-generation 144Mb Quad Data Rate II+ (QDR-II+) SRAM that is certified to the DLA Qualified Manufacturers List Class V (QML-V). This certification is the highest quality and reliability standard certification for aerospace-grade ICs. This rad-hard 144Mb QDR-II+ SRAM is a unique high-speed external cache memory ideal for radar, on-board data processing and networking applications in space.

Unlike DRAM with higher latency and memory bank restrictions, the new product decreases the overall system complexity in radar and imaging applications by providing higher performance that allows on-system satellite image processing with greater resolution and faster processing speeds.

“As a leading provider of high-density QDR-II+ SRAMs in the market, our successful QML-V qualification once again exemplifies the inherent product capabilities of our commercial off-the-shelf components to meet the most stringent requirements of high-reliability market segments,” said Helmut Puchner, VP Fellow of Aerospace and Defense at Infineon Technologies LLC.

The device is the company's newest generation of rad-hard QDR-II+ SRAMs, with past generations already adopted in various space programs such as the NASA Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) research satellite mission using Synthetic Aperture Radar technology.

The high-performance SRAM runs up to a maximum frequency of 250MHz, delivering up to 36Gbps throughput in a 165-ball CCGA package. The device is rad-hard for up to 200krad(Si) and is latch-up immune, improving system reliability in harsh environments.