A Novel 3D DRAM Memory Cube Architecture for Space Applications

The first mainstream products in 3D IC design are memory devices where multiple memory tiers are horizontally integrated to offer manifold improvements compared with their 2D counterparts. Unfortunately, none of these existing 3D memory cubes are ready for harsh space environments. This paper presents a new memory cube architecture for space, based on vertical integration of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS), 3D stacked, DRAM memory devices with a custom Radiation-Hardened-By-Design (RHBD) controller offering high memory capacity, robust reliability and low latency. Validation and evaluation of the ASIC controller will be conducted prior to tape-out on a custom FPGA-based emulator platform integrating the 3D-stack.