Analysis of Breakthroughs in MRAM Technology for Space Storage Applications

Based on the sourced information, I will provide a detailed analysis of the breakthroughs of MRAM technology relative to traditional NAND in the space storage domain.

The space environment imposes stringent requirements on electronic storage devices, mainly including [1]:

1. Radiation Environment
   : High-energy particles and cosmic rays can cause bit flips, data corruption, or even functional failure in traditional charge-based memory devices
2. Extreme Temperatures
   : The temperature range in the space environment can reach
   -55°C to +125°C
   [1]
3. Total Ionizing Dose (TID) Cumulative Effect
   : Long-term radiation exposure can lead to semiconductor performance degradation
4. Single-Event Effect (SEE)
   : High-energy particle impacts may cause transient faults or permanent damage

Feature	MRAM	Traditional NAND
Data Storage Principle	Magnetic Tunnel Junction (MTJ), storing data via magnetic moment direction [2]	Charge trapping mechanism
Radiation Sensitivity	Inherently radiation-hardened , no additional shielding required [2]	Highly radiation-sensitive, requires special hardening treatment
Single-Event Effect (SEE) Immunity	Resists LET values up to 120 MeV·cm²/mg [2]	Susceptible to Single-Event Upsets (SEU)
Total Ionizing Dose (TID) Tolerance	Over 1 Mrad [2]	Far below this threshold
ECC Correction Requirement	Very low	High, requires complex error correction codes

: MRAM utilizes the spin properties of magnetic materials instead of electric charge to store data, fundamentally eliminating the mechanism by which radiation interferes with data storage [1][2].

• Data Retention
  : MRAM has
  non-volatile
  properties, so data is not lost after power outage [1][2]
• Read-Write Endurance
  : MRAM has
  infinite read-write endurance
  , while NAND Flash typically only has
  10³-10⁵ write cycles
  [2]
• This is critical for long-duration space missions
  , avoiding storage medium failure due to frequent writes

Parameter	MRAM	NAND Flash
Write Speed	~ 35ns [2]	Microsecond-level
Read Speed	Nanosecond-level	Microsecond-level
Standby Power Consumption	Nearly zero [2]	Requires refresh power

: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) uses Everspin’s 16Mb MRAM (MR4A16B) as cache for its attitude control system. , while traditional SRAM triggered 4 ECC corrections, causing a 12ms system response delay [1].

• MRAM can operate stably within the extreme temperature range of
  -55°C to +125°C
  [1][2]
• This feature is particularly important for missions in extreme environments such as the Moon and Mars

1. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
   : Evaluates and uses MRAM technology
2. James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
   : Attitude control system cache
3. Deep Space Exploration Missions
   : Satellite systems requiring high-reliability data storage

• Everspin Technologies
  : Toggle MRAM and STT-MRAM solutions
• Thales SA
  : Space-grade MRAM using perpendicular Magnetic Tunnel Junction (p-MTJ) technology
• Honeywell
  : Radiation-hardened storage solutions

Disadvantage	Description
Storage Density	Lower than NAND Flash (current maximum of ~1Gb vs. terabyte-level capacity for NAND)
Cost	30-40% higher unit cost than traditional memory
Write Power Consumption	Higher power consumption than SRAM during write operations

• The global radiation-hardened electronics market is projected to
  grow from $1.77 billion in 2025 to $2.3 billion in 2030
  (CAGR 5.4%) [3]
• The MRAM market is projected to
  grow by approximately 82% from 2024 to 2029
  [3]
• Vendors such as Micron have also begun launching
  space-grade NAND products
  (256Gb SLC NAND), but these are mainly used for high-capacity storage scenarios [3]

For space storage applications, a

between MRAM and NAND is emerging:

• MRAM
  : Suitable for scenarios requiring high reliability, such as
  critical system cache, configuration storage, and attitude control
• NAND
  : Suitable for
  high-capacity data storage
  (e.g., images, telemetry data) scenarios

With the maturation of

technology, its storage density is continuously improving, and it is expected to replace traditional memory in more space applications [2][3].

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[1] Core Advantages of MRAM in Aerospace: Radiation Hardening (https://trustcompo.com/blog/mram-aerospace-applications)

[2] Radiation-Hardened Spintronic Memories for Aerospace Applications - Thales & Everspin (https://eureka.patsnap.com/report-radiation-hardened-spintronic-memories-for-aerospace-applications)

[3] Radiation Hardened Electronics Market & MRAM Market Analysis (https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/radiation-hardened-electronics-market; https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/magneto-resistive-ram-market)