The agreement is expected to accelerate Honeywell's ability to develop radiation-hardened MRAM non-volatile memory for military and aerospace products such as satellites where data processing and storage performance is critical.

Honeywell plans to incorporate Motorola's MRAM memory elements with its radiation-hardened silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology to produce the first memory chip capable of providing data stability in the harsh operating environments of space, including for satellite and military applications.

"Combining Motorola's MRAM with Honeywell's Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) radiation hardened process will produce a new, revolutionary chip that improves data storage," said Eric Doremus, vice president of Honeywell's precision sensors and components business.

"This is a breakthrough component that will result in greater reliability of data despite varying radiation and power fluctuation challenges in space environments."

Honeywell and Motorola collaborated with DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) in the initial research and development of MRAM.

Chris Belden, corporate vice president and general manager of Technology and Manufacturing at Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector, said, "Stand- alone memory and embedded chip manufacturers are all looking for cost- effective, flexible memory technology. We are excited to be working with Honeywell to meet their demands and to build momentum behind MRAM as the flexible memory solution of the future."

Currently RAM used in space and military systems is susceptible to the bursts of high or low amounts of radiation that interrupt power, requiring auxiliary systems to prevent data- corruption and loss.

By contrast, MRAM stores data through a magnetic cell structure rather than through transistor cells, eliminating the need for the auxiliary systems that add weight, require storage and often are less reliable.

MRAM also offers exceptional speed, memory ability and the integration of multiple memory-options on the same chip. For computers, memory reloads information into "local memory" from mass storage like a hard disk drive when power is turned on. MRAM allows programs and data to remain in local memory even when the computer is turned off, which significantly reduces the load time when powered up.

SOI technology is similar to a standard semiconductor, with the added advantage of its insulator layers. It currently is used to fabricate Honeywell's radiation-hardened RAM and application specific integrated circuit components for space and in operating environments where radiation exposure may cause memory failure.

Honeywell
Motorola Semiconductors
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