As one of the World's Leading Suppliers of Semiconductor Solutions, Samsung Embraces a Diverse Range of Microcontrollers (MCUs) for a Variety of Applications.
Starting from basic 4-bit MCUs, Samsung MCUs range right up to 32-bit ARM-based RISC MCUs with best-in-class quality of on-chip flash, SRAM, and inbuilt CAN interfaces.
Samsung MCUs cater to both the consumer and industrial sectors. When deployed in LCD display controllers, Samsung MCUs can be used as CPUs in streaming multimedia playback devices and handheld wireless Internet access devices. The comprehensive software services suite and technical support provided with the products assure a low time-to-market for a majority of OEMs worldwide who choose Samsung as their preferred partner.
Advances in design, engineering, and fabrication processes are steadily increasing the number of features available on the same-sized silicon die for each MCU type. For example, Samsung MCUs with inbuilt support for LCD display screens is becoming widely popular in the one-time password, consumer, and home appliance markets across 8, 16, and 32-bit devices.
Samsung MCUs are also the default choice for designers of specific applications, such as battery-powered remote controllers, which have low power consumption as one of their principal design goals. With a strong focus on energy conservation, Samsung has developed an entire range of products based on the industry-standard ARM Cortex cores, which deliver exceptional computing power at significantly lower power consumption levels.
The following chart compares both low- and high-end MCUs with respect to their operating speeds, design platforms, and target application ranges.
Design Process
While low-end MCUs with 8-bit cores are used as general-purpose controllers running at low frequencies, mid-range and high-end cores are targeted at specific segments, such as high-speed, high performance, and low power applications. Samsung provides extensive software support, including a custom-designed C compiler for Samsung MCUs, to help accelerate software development for products on the platform.
With rapid advancements in microprocessor technology, memory technology is close behind. The following chart illustrates developments in memory technology, advancing towards 0.09um.
Key Features
Some of the key features of Samsung MCUs include:
| On-chip NVM | ADC |
| 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 384, 512 KB and 1MB | 8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit, 16-bit |
| On-chip RAM | PWM generator |
| From 200B to 32KB | 8-bit, 10-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit |
| Supported interfaces | Additional features |
|
UART, dual UART USART Serial I/O (SIO) SPI I2C USB CAN LIN |
Buzzer outputs Carrier frequency generators Comparators Op-amps Internal and external RC oscillators IF counters Voltage boosters and regulators High current-sinking capability PLL DAC Low voltage detector |
| Available I/O pins | Maximum oscillator frequency |
| From 6 to 146 | From 6MHz to 75MHz |
| LCD controller | Available packages |
| From 16/8 (16 segment output pins, 8 common output pins) to 80/32 | From 8-pin to 128-pin |
| Timers/counters | |
| 8-bit and 16-bit timers Watch-dog timer |
Benefits
The benefits of using Samsung's microcontrollers include:
- Designed for both consumer and industrial sectors.
- Reduced need for external connections due to on-chip memory and peripherals
- Extended application battery life due to low power MCU designs
- Cost-effective and high performance solutions across all application sectors.
- Easier application development and lower time-to-market due to high-end MCUs using industry-standard ARM cores.
- Wide combinations of RAM, ROM, I/O, and integrated peripherals (such as on-chip LCD drivers) available for deployment of any application.
- Extensive design flexibility due to availability of multiple architectures from low-end 4-bit cores to high-end 32-bit ARM-based cores.
Applications
Samsung's portfolio of MCU products and solutions cover a variety of applications. Some of these applications include:
-
Industrial:
Samsung's new Cortex CPU can be used in industrial applications such as controlling the speed of motors, as well as measurement applications. -
Home appliances:
Increasingly "smart" home appliances such as air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, and microwave ovens require equally intelligent controllers. Samsung's 8-bit MCUs and 32-bit MCUs with inverter motor controller are being used as the "brains" in these appliances. -
Consumer products:
Products such as digital weighing scales, infrared remote controllers, digital clocks, and intelligent battery chargers also use MCUs. -
General-purpose products:
Products such as digital calculators, digital wristwatches, and digital multimedia players also use MCUs. -
Automotive applications:
Today's intelligent automobiles use a vast combination of MCUs embedded in several parts of the vehicle for information monitoring and control, as well as for preventive maintenance. As an example, MCUs are used to record and analyze temperature data gathered from various sensors mounted around the vehicle and alert the driver when temperatures reach abnormally high levels. -
Emerging markets of tomorrow:
Products of the future (currently under development) include smart batteries that can communicate their charge levels with the charger and automatically protect themselves against overcharging or short-circuiting. Such smart batteries contain inbuilt MCUs that are responsible for the data communication and information transfer processes.
The following illustration presents a snapshot of these applications:
The future of MCUs certainly looks promising, with devices increasing in their computational power, on-chip memory and peripherals, and power-management capabilities. With Samsung's extensive background and experience in the semiconductor industry, Samsung will remain a frontrunner in the microcontroller segment, enabling customers and partners to bring new technologies to market in the shortest possible time.
