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The future of memory

IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings

Marinella, Matthew

In the not too distant future, the traditional memory and storage hierarchy of may be replaced by a single Storage Class Memory (SCM) device integrated on or near the logic processor. Traditional magnetic hard drives, NAND flash, DRAM, and higher level caches (L2 and up) will be replaced with a single high performance memory device. The Storage Class Memory paradigm will require high speed (1012), nonvolatility (retention >10 years), and low switching energies (< 10 pJ per switch). The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) has recently evaluated several potential candidates SCM technologies, including Resistive (or Redox) RAM, Spin Torque Transfer RAM (STT-MRAM), and phase change memory (PCM). All of these devices show potential well beyond that of current flash technologies and research efforts are underway to improve the endurance, write speeds, and scalabilities to be on-par with DRAM. This progress has interesting implications for space electronics: each of these emerging device technologies show excellent resistance to the types of radiation typically found in space applications. Commercially developed, high density storage class memory-based systems may include a memory that is physically radiation hard, and suitable for space applications without major shielding efforts. This paper reviews the Storage Class Memory concept, emerging memory devices, and possible applicability to radiation hardened electronics for space. © 2013 IEEE.

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The future of memory

IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings

Marinella, Matthew

In the not too distant future, the traditional memory and storage hierarchy of may be replaced by a single Storage Class Memory (SCM) device integrated on or near the logic processor. Traditional magnetic hard drives, NAND flash, DRAM, and higher level caches (L2 and up) will be replaced with a single high performance memory device. The Storage Class Memory paradigm will require high speed (1012), nonvolatility (retention >10 years), and low switching energies (< 10 pJ per switch). The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) has recently evaluated several potential candidates SCM technologies, including Resistive (or Redox) RAM, Spin Torque Transfer RAM (STT-MRAM), and phase change memory (PCM). All of these devices show potential well beyond that of current flash technologies and research efforts are underway to improve the endurance, write speeds, and scalabilities to be on-par with DRAM. This progress has interesting implications for space electronics: each of these emerging device technologies show excellent resistance to the types of radiation typically found in space applications. Commercially developed, high density storage class memory-based systems may include a memory that is physically radiation hard, and suitable for space applications without major shielding efforts. This paper reviews the Storage Class Memory concept, emerging memory devices, and possible applicability to radiation hardened electronics for space. © 2013 IEEE.

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GaN-based wide-bandgap power switching devices: From atoms to the grid

ECS Transactions

Atcitty, Stanley; Kaplar, Robert; Dasgupta, Sandeepan; Marinella, Matthew; Armstrong, Andrew A.; Biedermann, Laura B.; Smith, Mark A.

Emerging semiconductor switches based on the wide-bandgap semiconductor GaN have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of portable power applications such as transportable energy storage. Such applications are likely to become more widespread as renewables such as wind and solar continue to come on-line. However, the long-term reliability of GaN-based power devices is relatively unexplored. In this paper, we describe joint work between Sandia National Laboratories and MIT on highvoltage AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors. It is observed that the nature of current collapse is a strong function of bias conditions as well as device design, where factors such as Al composition in the barrier layer and surface passivation play a large role. Thermal and optical recovery experiments are performed to ascertain the nature of charge trapping in the device. Additionally, Kelvin-force microscopy measurements are used to evaluate the surface potential within the device. © The Electrochemical Society.

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Slow detrapping transients due to gate and drain bias stress in high breakdown voltage AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices

Dasgupta, Sandeepan; Sun, Min; Armstrong, Andrew A.; Kaplar, Robert; Marinella, Matthew; Stanley, James B.; Atcitty, Stanley; Palacios, Tomas

Charge trapping and slow (from 10 s to > 1000 s) detrapping in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) designed for high breakdown voltages (> 1500 V) is studied through a combination of electrical, thermal, and optical methods to identify the impact of Al molefraction and passivation on trapping. Trapping due to 5-10 V drain bias stress in the on-state (V gs = 0) is found to have significantly slower recovery, compared with trapping in the off-state (V gs < V th, V ds = 0). Two different trapping components, i.e., TG1 (E a = 0.6 eV) and TG2 (with negligible temperature dependence), in AlGaN dominate under gate bias stress in the off-state. Al 0.15 Ga 0.85N shows much more vulnerability to trapping under gate stress in the absence of passivation than does AlGaN with a higher Al mole fraction. Under large drain bias, trapping is dominated by a much deeper trap TD. Detrapping under monochromatic light shows TD to have E a ≈ 1.65 eV. Carbon doping in the buffer is shown to introduce threshold voltage shifts, unlike any of the other traps. © 2012 IEEE.

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PV inverter performance and reliability: What is the role of the bus capacitor?

IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics

Kaplar, Robert; Marinella, Matthew; Granata, Jennifer E.

In order to elucidate how the degradation of individual components affects the state of the photovoltaic inverter as a whole, we have carried out SPICE simulations to investigate the voltage and current ripple on the DC bus. The bus capacitor is generally considered to be among the least reliable components of the system, so we have simulated how the degradation of bus capacitors affects the AC ripple at the terminals of the PV module. Degradation-induced ripple leads to an increased degradation rate in a positive feedback cycle. Additionally, laboratory experiments are being carried out to ascertain the reliability of metallized thin film capacitors. By understanding the degradation mechanisms and their effects on the inverter as a system, steps can be made to more effectively replace marginal components with more reliable ones, increasing the lifetime and efficiency of the inverter and decreasing its cost per watt towards the US Department of Energy goals.

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Results 301–350 of 376
Results 301–350 of 376