September 24, 2007 – A week after announcing their partnership, Micromem Technologies Inc. and pure-play GaAs foundry Global Communication Semiconductors Inc. (GCS) say they have started processing MRAM wafers.

The firms say GCS has received an approved reticle design from partner Strategic Solutions Inc., incorporating “an extensive matrix of tests” for the Micromem MRAM bit structure. By the end of next month results from the tests should reveal information about the MRAM’s scalability, power consumption, read write speed and cross talk separation. Additional radiation hardening test is planned to validate and supplement similar testing.

Interested joint development partners have come forth for military applications, where increasing reliance upon devices means more battery use according to Steven Van Fleet, Micromem’s project director for this foundry phase. “If Micromem’s MRAM requires lower power dissipation, meaning lower battery weight, this will be a huge market opportunity for us.” Other potential applications are in phased-array satellites with array-based calibration memories that are not housed in metal shielded boxes like silicon-based memory.

Micromem and GCS plan to finish testing by the end of October 2007, identify and begin collaboration with partners in November, and transition from Phase 1 testing into multiple and parallel product development by early January 2008.