Firman Simanjuntak and his team at [INSTITUTION] have done a very innovative study. They explored the distinctive characteristics of a specialized memristor, paving the way for the development of high-density memory storage solutions tailored for space missions. Since 2019, Surya Simanjuntak’s team has been investigating several memristor technologies, with special emphasis on their possible gamma radiation robustness.
The memristor being studied here is a WORM (write once, read many) device. Unlike standard memory elements like EEPROMs, WORM memristors are one-time programmable with no option for a reset state, rendering them suitable for applications requiring permanent storage. This functionality is especially beneficial in contexts where data retention is vital, like in space.
Type of memristor made out of a sandwich of flexible and porous materials. That journey starts with a thin, conductive layer of platinum. Next, an aluminum-doped hafnium oxide insulator is deposited, followed by a titanium adhesion layer, and topped off with a conductive silver layer. This arrangement plays a crucial role in the device’s exceptional power efficiency and performance.
In these experimental tests, Simanjuntak’s team subjected the memristor to a very high dose of radiation—5 megarads of gamma irradiation. This amounts to an exposure level 500 times the dose lethal to humans. Utterly astonishingly, after this baptism of fire, the memristor emerged with a special character. It operated in the manner of a resettable fuse. After a 30-day recovery period, it outperformed every untreated device. The researchers found that by raising the voltage significantly improved the device’s durability. Interestingly, this increased resistance remained consistent, even after the device was subsequently subjected to lower voltages.
These findings are indicative of the remarkable resilience and adaptability of hafnium oxide memristors in extreme conditions. The study conclusively demonstrates that such devices could serve as radiation-hardened non-volatile memory elements. This ability is particularly important with regard to satellites and other spacecraft. These improvements in memory technology would allow real-time calculations onboard in space, improving safety and potential mission rewards.
“It’s quite exciting what they’re doing” – Pavel Borisov
As a result, the race for advancements in space technology has accelerated. Simanjuntak’s research is a critical step in developing strong memory solutions that will stand the test of conditions outside of Earth’s atmosphere.
Borisov’s experiments further corroborated Simanjuntak’s findings, indicating that the memristors did not exhibit self-healing properties post-radiation exposure. This new observation challenges our understanding of memristor performance in extreme conditions. It needs to raise serious and substantive questions about their long-term viability when applied in the real world.
Memristors have become popular in recent years because of their minimalist architecture, physical compactness, and energy efficiency. These benefits render them especially well-suited for use in crewed space missions, where efficiency and reliability are critical.