Low-Power 8-bit and 32-bit Microcontrollers

STMicroelectronics has announced details of a low-power technology platform for building a range of 8-bit and 32-bit microcontrollers. This platform is built on a 130nm process, which ST has further optimized with ultra-low-leakage transistors for logic functions, low-voltage transistors for analog functions, innovative low-power embedded memory, new low-voltage low-power standard peripherals and an innovative power-management architecture. ST will introduce the first new microcontrollers, the STM8L and STM32L, based on this platform later in 2009.

These will be the start of ultra-low-power product paths for the 8-bit STM8S and 32-bit STM32F families achieving dynamic power consumption as low as 150µA/MHz from Flash, and HALT-mode power consumption as low as 300nA while maintaining SRAM content and registers. The first STM8L products are already sampling to key OEMs. Products to benefit from the MCUs will include alarm systems, wireless sensors, touch-sensing modules, and portable equipment such as personal healthcare devices, handheld game terminals, remote-control units, GPS devices, personal sports equipment, and mobile accessories.