Cerfe Labs, Inc. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF203-CSO1

Description

Cryogenic compute systems have multiple applications of interest to the Air Force, namely high-performance super-computing, space electronics for Space Force as well as computing in cold Arctic climates.  Cryogenic operation of conventional CMOS can enable supremacy in high-performance computing by increasing the transistor ON current, while the transistor leakage reduces making it much more efficient, thus greatly increasing the performance to power ratio.  For Space Force, deep space has a temperature of 2.725K so will also benefit from cryogenic operation of electronics to minimize size and weight.  Additionally, sensor technologies such as missile defense IR require cryogenic operation and should be enabled with non-volatile memory in order to promote sensor fusion and in-the-field reconfigurability without adding noise from higher temperature microelectronics.  The challenge for the cryogenic temperature electronics is the lack of reliable non-volatile memory. We propose a novel correlated electron random access memory (CeRAM) for such cryogenic computing. The quantum nature of switching of electron correlation enables CeRAM to function at ultra-cold temperature. We have successfully demonstrated a sub-50 nm CeRAM bit at a leading research foundry (equivalent to a 7 nm technology node) with a pulse width of 2 ns, and memory window of over 50 and have shown devices switching down to 1.5 K, the limit of our testing capability. Additionally, CeRAM in theory is expected to be immune to ionizing radiation, so utilizing it in space should be an ideal application.