Nantero and Lockheed Martin Test Carbon Nanotube-Based Memory Devices

Lockheed Martin reports that a radiation-resistant version of NRAM™ carbon-nanotube-based memory, developed jointly by Lockheed Martin and Nantero, was tested on a recent Space Shuttle mission. The NRAM™ was incorporated by NASA into special autonomous testing configurations and launched into space as part of STS-125, the May 2009 mission of the Space Shuttle Atlantis that successfully serviced the Hubble Space Telescope. The experiment was a proof-of-concept that enabled the testing of launch and re-entry survivability of NRAM, as well as basic functionality of the carbon nanotube switches on orbit throughout the shuttle mission.

"This demonstration of carbon-nanotube-based semiconductor devices in the rigorous conditions of space is an important step towards a whole new suite of future applications,” said Dr. Jim Ryder, vice president and general manager of the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto. Lockheed Martin holds an exclusive license arrangement with Nantero for government applications of Nantero’s extensive intellectual property portfolio.

Thomas Rueckes, Nantero’s co-founder and CTO, said, “We are proud of the success of our NRAM memory devices in even the harshest of conditions, and honored for being selected by NASA for this mission..

Nantero is a nanotechnology company using carbon nanotubes for the development of next-generation semiconductor devices. Nantero’s main focus is the development of NRAM™. Nantero is also working with licensees on the development of additional applications of Nantero’s core nanotube-based technology.
Nantero’s nanotube-based memories are the second memory technology to challenge the rigors of space conditions as a testament to the reliability and durability of the technology. Freescale’s MRAM was selected to perform the task of nonvolatile memory as well as fast SRAM as part of the satellite’s electronics when Japan’s SpriteSat research satellite was launched earlier this year. That three-year mission was to study the Earth’s magnetic field and lightning effects in the upper atmosphere.

Without taking any credit away from either of these two space-tested memory technologies—or from any of the other memory technologies still under development that might not ever be considered for space applications—it is still fair to point out that every application has a potential market size along with a unique set of cost and performance requirements. Nevertheless, market growth advances one application at a time, and NRAM appears to have successfully cleared another hurdle along the track toward commercialization.