Atmel Launches Automotive Grade ARM Cortex-M0+-based MCUs With Capacitive Touch Hardware Support for HMI and LIN Applications

New SAM DA1 Series of Atmel | SMART MCUs Deliver Integrated Peripheral Touch Controller With Smart Peripherals, Higher Performance and More Memory

San Jose, CA, February 24, 2015 – Atmel® Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML), a leader in microcontroller (MCU) and touch technology solutions, today announced the company has launched its next-generation family of automotive-qualified ARM® Cortex®-M0+-based MCUs with an integrated peripheral touch controller (PTC) for capacitive touch applications. The new SAM DA1 is the first series in this Atmel |SMART MCU automotive-qualified product family, operating at a maximum frequency of 48MHz and reaching a 2.14 Coremark/MHz.

Atmel’s SAM DA1 series is ideal for capacitive touch button, slider, wheel or proximity sensing applications and offers high analog performance for greater front-end flexibility. The new devices are available down to a very compact QFN 5x5mm package with wettable flanks for automated optical inspection.

Eliminating external components and offering more robust features, devices in the SAM DA1 series come with 32 to 64 pins, up to 64KB of Flash, 8KB of SRAM and 2KB read-while-write Flash and are qualified according to the AEC Q-100 Grade 2 (-40 to +105degreeC).

“As a leader in both automotive touch and LIN solutions, we are committed to bringing innovative, cost-effective solutions to next-generation vehicles,” said Matthias Kaestner, Vice President of Automotive, Atmel Corporation. “With a comprehensive peripheral set for connectivity and state-of-the-art touch support, the SAM DA1 series allows system designers to perfect the human-machine interface in the automobile with capacitive touch. We are committed to offering a wide range of cost-optimized auto-qualified products for in-vehicle networking, infotainment connectivity and body electronics.”

Key Features of Atmel’s SAM DA1 Series

• Atmel |SMART ARM Cortex-M0+-based processor
• 45 DMIPS
• Vcc 2.7 to 3.63V
• 16kB to 64kB Flash; 32 to 64 pins
• Up to six SERCOM (Serial Communication Interface), USB, I²S
• Peripheral Touch Controller
• Complex PWM
• AEC Q100 Grade 2 Qualified

Design Support

To accelerate the design development, the ATSAMDA1-XPRO development kit is available to support the new devices. The new SAM DA1 series is also supported by AtmelStudio, Atmel Software Framework and debuggers.

Availability

Atmel is now working on the SAM DA1 series with lead customers. General sampling will start the end of April 2015.

About Atmel

Atmel Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML) is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, capacitive touch solutions, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with intelligent and connected solutions focused on the industrial, consumer, communications, computing and automotive markets.