Freescale Semiconductor Kinetis family of 90 nm 32-bit MCUs

Freescale Semiconductor has announced the Kinetis family of 90 nm 32-bit MCUs based on the ARM Cortex-M4 processor. Complementing the company’s 90 nm ColdFire+ MCU range, this represents a scalable portfolio of low-power, mixed-signal ARM Cortex-M4 processor-based MCUs.

Over the next 12 months, seven new Kinetis MCU families are expected to be introduced, with more than 200 pin-, peripheral- and software-compatible devices, each one featuring the latest in low-power innovation and a powerful array of mixed-signal capabilities.

Designers will be able to combine this with a wide selection of human machine interface, connectivity and safety and security peripherals, as well as selecting from multiple performance and memory options.

The MCUs are built using Freescale’s 90 nm thin film storage technology with FlexMemory capability - configurable electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM).

The MCUs also share the same software enablement and ultra-low power flexibility as ColdFire+ MCUs, making it simple for users to select the best solution for their end application.

Each MCU is supplied with a suite of enablement software including Freescale’s complimentary, full-featured MQX real-time operating system and bundled Eclipse-based CodeWarrior 10.0 integrated development environment with Processor Expert - providing a visual and automated framework to accelerate the development of complex embedded applications.

The MCUs are also supported by the ARM ecosystem, including IAR Systems’ Embedded Workbench and Keil’s Microcontroller Development Kit IDEs.

This combination of Freescale and third-party enablement provides a pathway for quick design and reduced implementation headaches.

The Freescale Tower rapid prototyping system completes the offering by providing nearly unlimited quick prototyping capabilities. This one-stop-shop solution for MCUs, development tools and runtime software delivers outstanding flexibility and value for designers of industrial and consumer end products while reducing development costs.

The families include a suite of analog, communication and timing and control peripherals, with the level of feature integration increasing with flash memory size and the number of inputs/outputs. Features common to all Kinetis families include: high-speed 16-bit analog to digital converters; 12-bit digital to analog converters with on-chip analog voltage reference; multiple high-speed comparators and programmable gain amplifiers; low-power touch sensing with device wake-up on touch from reduced power states; multiple serial interfaces including UARTs with ISO7816 support and Inter-IC Sound; flexible timers for a broad range of applications, including motor control; off-chip system expansion and data-storage options via SD host, NAND flash; and DRAM controllers and Freescale’s FlexBus interconnect scheme.

The first five Kinetis families build on this foundation by adding further HMI, connectivity and safety and security capabilities. The result is a product portfolio for a broad range of application requirements from low power remote sensing to industrial automation and control.

The K10 family features performance options from 50 to 150 MHz and 32 KB to 1 MB of flash memory with high RAM-to-flash ratios throughout. It will be available in ultra-small footprint 5 x 5 mm QFN packages for the smallest low-power designs. The K20, K30 and K40 families are fully compatible with the K10 family.

The K20 family adds USB 2.0 device/host/on-the-go (full and high speed). USB device charger detect (DCD) capability optimises charging current/time, enabling longer battery life in portable USB products.

The K30 family adds a flexible LCD controller, supporting up to 320 segments. Low-power blink mode and segment fail detect provide reduced power operation and increased display integrity in LCD-enabled products.

The K40 family combines USB and segment LCD functionality for products that require flexible connectivity with a graphical user interface.

The K60 family includes a set of highly integrated MCUs with up to 180 MHz performance and IEEE 1588 ethernet Mac for precise, real-time time control in industrial automation environments.

Low power permeates every aspect of the MCU design. All devices support full memory (flash/RAM/EEPROM) and analog peripheral operation down to 1.71 V, which translates to extended battery life for portable designs.

A total of 10 low-power operating modes is available, allowing designers to optimise peripheral activity and recovery times.

FlexMemory can be configured by the user as high-endurance (up to 10 million write/erase cycles) byte writeable/erasable EEPROM with write times down to 100 ns and/or additional flash memory.