STMicroelectronics Unveils Roadmap for ARM(R) Cortex(TM)-M4 and -M0 Microcontrollers While Unleashing Ultimate Performance of Cortex-M3 With New STM32 F-2 Series

STM32 MCUs based on ARM Cortex-M0 and -M4 cores will complement ST's world-leading 32-bit microcontroller offering in 2011 - New STM32 F-2 series offers 30 new devices; delivers 150DMIPS for high-performance power-sensitive applications 

GENEVA, Nov. 30, 2010-- STMicroelectronics, a world leader in microcontrollers, today announced that the roadmap for its breakthrough STM32 family of 32-bit MCUs based on ARM(R) Cortex-M(TM) processor cores is to include new devices centered on the Cortex-M4 and the Cortex-M0 cores from ARM. In addition, ST also announced today availability of its new STM32 F-2 series MCUs that fully unleash the performance of the Cortex-M3 core.

New Cortex-M MCUs

The Cortex-M4 from ARM is an upwardly compatible version of the Cortex-M3, offering DSP instructions and a Floating Point Unit (FPU). The core will be used in new high-performance variants of STM32 products to be sampled in 2011. The STM32 portfolio will be further enriched for highly cost-sensitive applications with a new series, also sampling in 2011, currently being developed around the Cortex-M0.

"It is our intention to remain the undisputed leader in ARM Cortex-M MCUs and offer the broadest portfolio of ARM Cortex-M microcontrollers in the industry," said Michel Buffa, General Manager of ST's Microcontroller Division. "The Cortex-M4 and Cortex-M0, in combination with our leading-edge embedded Flash and ultra-low-power technologies, will join the Cortex-M3 core MCUs to allow ST to significantly expand its STM32 offering to meet every application need in performance, features and pricing."

All future STM32 Cortex-M4 and -M0 based MCUs will remain fully pin- and software compatible with each other and the STM32 Cortex-M3 devices. In addition, they will benefit from the same tool and software ecosystem, allowing seamless moves within the full STM32 product range.

New STM32 F-2 Series

ST's new leading-edge STM32 F-2 microcontroller series combines ST's advanced 90nm process technology with the Company's innovative Adaptive Real-Time memory accelerator (ART Accelerator(TM)) to unleash the Cortex-M3 core's maximum processing performance. The STM32 F-2 MCUs achieve leading-edge performance of 150 Dhrystone MIPS when executing code from Flash at 120MHz, which is the maximum performance possible from the Cortex-M3 processor at this frequency. The series also offers CoreMark-confirmed 188uA/MHz dynamic power consumption, when executing from Flash, equivalent to drawing 22.5mA at 120MHz. In addition to offering on-chip memory densities that are among the highest of any Cortex-M3 based MCUs available, the new series provides enhanced support for imaging, connectivity, security, audio and control applications.

For many applications, the STM32 F-2 MCUs offer the perfect balance between performance, dynamic power consumption and cost, which has been confirmed with the news that more than 20 of ST's customers are currently ramping upmanufacturing of new products enabled by this new STM32 family.

"This series is a major addition to the STM32 platform and reinforces ST's leadership in the market for Cortex-M3 MCUs," added Buffa. "ST's proprietary 90nm process and the development of the ART Accelerator enable perfectly optimized processor-memory interactions with a performance equivalent to zero wait states, taking the performance of the Cortex-M3 core to its natural limits."

The addition of more than 30 new devices in the F-2 series brings the total number of STM32 microcontrollers to 180 pin- and software-compatible devices sharing a common pool of peripherals, and delivering the advanced performance, high efficiency and convenience of the industry-standard Cortex-M3 processor.

Production samples of the STM32 F-2 series are available now to OEM customers with widely availability in Q1 2011. Prices for the STM32-F2 series begin from $3.18 for the STM32F205RBT6 with 128 Kbytes of Flash and 64 Kbytes RAM in the LQFP64 package, for orders of more than 10,000 units.

STM32 F-2 Series - Further Technical Details

Complementing the existing STM32 F-1 and L-1 series, while remaining fully pin-to-pin and software compatible, the STM32 F-2 MCU series is available in four variants, each providing designers with various memory density, package and peripheral options, combined with the performance and power advantages provided by 90nm process technology and the ART memory accelerator. The series also benefits from the extensive development tool and software ecosystem of the STM32 family, comprising numerous compilers and IDEs.

Target Applications

Consumer and Mobile applications, due to its performance, 1.65V support, audio-class architecture, and small WLCSP64 package;

Industrial and Medical applications, due to rich connectivity peripheral sets, encryption, processing power, advanced timers and large Flash and SRAM memory.

Industry-Leading Performance

150 DMIPS (Dhrystone MIPS) at 120MHz;

CoreMark(TM)-confirmed fastest Cortex-M3 microcontroller, at 120MHz, delivering 1.905 CoreMark/MHz (228.60 CoreMark at 120MHz) performance, executing from embedded Flash memory;

Seven-layer multi AHB bus matrix for seamless and efficient operation, even when several high-speed peripherals are operating simultaneously;

Two separate blocks of SRAM located on the bus matrix allow simultaneous memory access from different bus masters;

16 DMA channels.

Power Efficiency

CoreMark-confirmed 188uA/MHz dynamic power consumption, when executing from Flash, equivalent to drawing 22.5mA at 120MHz;

Voltage range to further reduce power consumption - 1.65V to 3.6V for the WLCSP64 package, 1.8V to 3.6V for the other four packages;

Advanced low-power modes and features allowing VBAT mode, allowing consumption of less than 1uA with RTC (Real-Time Clock) turned on, and less than 1uA with memory preservation of 4 Kbytes of battery-backed SRAM.

Advanced Peripherals

Audio-class architecture, I2S and USB peripherals with advanced PLL and data-synchronization schemes;

528 bytes of OTP (One-Time-Programmable) memory, allowing storage of critical data, such as Ethernet MAC addresses or encryption keys;

Parallel CMOS-camera sensor interface,

Connectivity - up to two USB Full-Speed OTG interfaces (one supporting USB High Speed with dedicated DMA), 1 Ethernet MAC 10/100 with IEEE1588 PTP hardware support, two CAN 2.0B active, External Memory Interface running up to 60MHz and supporting Compact Flash, SRAM, PSRAM, NOR, NAND memories and LCD

Control - Two motor-control timers, 12 general-purpose timers, two 32-bit timers, three 12-bit ADCs converting at 2-Msample/s, and a 12-bit DAC;

Encryption - Crypto/Hash processor and Analog True Random Number Generator; Encryption block includes hardware acceleration for AES 128, 192, 256, Triple DES, HASH (MD5, SHA-1).

Packages

LQFP64, LQFP100, LQFP144, UFBGA176, plus the WLCSP64 (less than 4 x 4mm) for applications where board space is limited

F-2 Series Variants

STM32F205 devices provide from 128 Kbytes to 1 Mbytes of Flash, up to 128 kbytes of SRAM, a USB On-The-Go (OTG) full-speed/high-speed interface, and a choice of LQFP64, LQFP100, LQFP144 or WLCSP64 packages. These features add to core peripherals including multiple timers, ADCs and DACs, serial interfaces, two CAN2.0B ports, an LCD interface and an external memory interface running up to 60MHz and supporting Compact Flash, SRAM, PSRAM, NOR, and NAND memories. An RTC, CRC calculation unit and analog true random number generator are also integrated.

STM32F207 adds another full-speed USB OTG interface, an Ethernet 10/100 MAC supporting both MII and RMII and with IEEE1588 Precise Time Protocol hardware support, and an 8- to 14-bit parallel camera interface supporting up to 27 Mbyte/s at27MHz or 48 Mbyte/s at 48MHz allowing connection of a CMOS camera sensor. The STM32F207 is available in LQFP100, LQFP144 and UFBGA176 packages.

STM32F215 and STM32F217 series provide a cryptographic security processor featuring hardware acceleration for AES 128/192/256, Triple DES, and HASH (MD5, SHA-1) protocols. Available Flash memory densities for these devices are 512 Kbyte and 1 Mbyte.

About STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics is a global leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications with innovative semiconductor solutions. ST aims to be the undisputed leader in multimedia convergence and power applications leveraging its vast array of technologies, design expertise and combination of intellectual property portfolio, strategic partnerships and manufacturing strength. In 2009, the Company's net revenues were $8.51 billion. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com.