Low power embedded controllers are based on SOTB technology
Renesas Electronics has added the RE01 group of low power, embedded controllers to its RE family. The low power device is based on the company’s silicon-on-thin-buried-oxide (SOTB) process technology and built around the Arm Cortex-M0+ core.
The 256kbyte flash memory and 128kbyte RAM R7F0E01182xxx controllers have a minimum 3.16 mm × 2.88 mm WLBGA package size. The embedded controller is optimised for use in more compact product designs in IoT devices for sensor control, for applications such as smart homes, smart buildings, environmental sensing, structure monitoring, trackers, and wearable devices, advises Renesas.
They have received a certified EEMBC ULPMark-CoreProfile (CP) score for energy efficiency of 705. Renesas says this high score was achieved through the use of Renesas’ proprietary SOTB process technology, claimed to enable extreme reduction in both active and standby current consumption.
Current consumption is as low as 25 microA/MHz during operation and 400nA during standby. Customers can further reduce operation current consumption to 12 microA/MHz, says Renesas, by using its low Iq ISL9123 as an external step-down regulator. Deep standby mode with real-time clock (RTC) consumes 380 nA at 1.8V.
The RE Family of embedded controllers are capable of high-speed operation in applications that require real-time data processing from multiple sensors, even when powered by compact batteries with very small current output or by energy harvesting devices.
Operating voltage range is 1.62 to 3.6V with high-speed operation of up to 64MHz from 1.62V.
Package options are 3.0 x 3.0mm 72-pin WLBGA, 7.0 x 7.0mm 56-pin QFN, 14 x 14mm square 100-pin and 10 x 10mm 64-pin LQFP.
The controllers have robust security functions using Trusted Secure IP core.
Renesas also offers the EK-RE01 256 KB evaluation kit, which can be used with user systems to evaluate all peripheral functions, including energy harvesting systems. The kit includes an evaluation board with the ISL9123 low Iq DC/DC converter to measure the low operating current (12 microA/MHz). The board has the energy harvesting element interface, a secondary battery connection interface and is equipped with an Arduino-compatible interface to simplify extended evaluation capabilities for sensor boards, and a Pmod connector for extended evaluation using wireless functionality.
Compatible development tools include IAR Embedded Workbench for Arm, which supports the IAR C/C++ compiler, and e2 studio, which supports the GNU compiler. Both are available free of charge. Driver software supporting Arm’s Cortex Microcontroller Software Interface Standard (CMSIS) is available, together with a low-level sample code for use in low-power applications that cannot permit the power loss from the overhead imposed by driver software.
Sample shipments of the RE01 embedded controller are available; mass production is scheduled to begin in late July 2020.
