Ramtron International’s FM25C160—a 16kbit, 5V, SPI FRAM memory device—is now qualified to AECQ100 (Automotive Electronic Council’s Stress Test Qualification for Integrated Circuits) standards.
Today’s smart airbags are designed to increase or decrease deployment force based on accident event parameters such as the severity of the crash, the weight of the occupant, and the interaction with other safety systems in the car. Parametric data sent to the car’s electronic control unit (ECU) is generated by sensors throughout the cabin, enabling the airbag to deploy “intelligently.” As more sensors are designed into the car, more data needs to be collected. The FRAM device facilitates the collection of increased data at higher frequencies, allowing automotive safety systems to act on the timeliest information available.
In addition to the FM25C160, the company is developing various ferroelectronic randomaccess- memory (FRAM) configurations specified for the Grade 1 (- 40° to 125°C) operating range.
