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SRAM Jam: Using 0.18-micron line lithography lets Philips jam more functions, including fast flash memory, around an ARM core.
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San Jose, CA—The ARM architecture has gained a leadership position in embedded markets, and the many chipmakers in the ARM camp are pushing their designs forward to help increase its market presence. Recent introductions extend memory capabilities, enhance design environments, and boost performance.
Taking advantage of ever shrinking semiconductor geometries, Philips Semiconductors Inc. (www.semiconductors.philips.com) has unveiled what it says is the first ARM7 core with embedded flash memory made on a 0.18-micron processing line. The fine lithography processing geometry keeps costs down while permitting high levels of integration.
Perhaps more important is the inclusion of flash memory that runs at much higher speeds than conventional flash, letting it crank along at the same speed as SRAM. The speed is achieved by configuring the flash a bit differently than normal. "We use a very wide flash, 4 x 32-bit words that can be read in parallel," says Geoff Lees, marketing director for the microcontroller line.
The first member of this line, the LPC2100, runs at 60 MHz, providing 54 Dhrystone MIPS. The ARM core includes an in-circuit emulator and real-time monitor. The chip has 128 kbytes of flash and 16 kbytes of SRAM. Peripherals include a real time clock, timers, and a watchdog. The device fits in a 48-pin package. Pricing starts at less than $5 in quantity.
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Custom but quick: Toshiba's networking chip is a standard product designed to get systems to market quickly while engineers are designing custom parts that can save money. |
Design mosaic
An ARM-based networking controller has been developed to prove a new design environment called SoCMosaic. That concept is being used by Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc. (www.chips.toshiba.com) to reduce development time to as little as six months. The parts are currently being produced using a 0.13-micron process.
Toshiba is providing the T6TC1XB as a standard part that can be used to get a product to market quickly while the customized device is being developed. It includes a pair of Ethernet Media Access Controller ports and a PCI controller, as well as a DMA controller. Its 150-MHz ARM core has 16-kbyte instruction and data caches. The 352-lead BGA package operates on 3.3, 2.5, and 1.5V external power supplies.
Taking another tack on design and development, Aptix Corp. (www.aptix.com) joined the ARM PrimeXsys Community and EDA Partnership Programs. Aptix offers pre-silicon prototyping tools, letting engineers run operating systems and applications software to validate their designs before silicon is completed. The programs established by ARM LLC of Cambridge, England (www.arm.com) assures users that software has been validated.
Higher performance
The ARM922T core has been added to the BlueStreak line that's being ramped up by Camas, WA-based Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas (www.sharpsma.com). The LH7A400 brings Sharp's BlueStreak microcontrollers and system on a chip design into the high-performance 32-bit market, which previously stopped at the mid-range ARM7 core.
Processing speed is around 220 MIPS, yet the LH7A400 consumes only 1.33 mW per MIPS. The basic device holds a 16-kbyte cache, MMU, color LCD controller, and 80 kbytes of SRAM. Peripheral cells include serial and parallel interfaces, USB and IR support, and counter/timers.
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