Renesas expands energy-efficient RE MCU family

By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief

Renesas Electronics Corp. has expanded its RE family lineup of embedded microcontrollers, based on the Arm Cortex-M0+ core with a maximum operating frequency of 64 MHz, with a new ultra-low power-consumption device. The newest member of the RE01 Group family is a 256-KB flash memory variant in addition to the 1.5-MB flash memory embedded controller in mass production.

The new embedded controller received a certified EEMBC ULPMark-CoreProfile (CP) score of 705, verifying its energy efficiency. This is thanks to the company’s proprietary silicon-on-thin-buried oxide (SOTB) process technology that enables a significant reduction in active and standby current consumption.

The RE01 Group device, housed in a 3.16 × 2.88-mm WLBGA package, targets compact IoT devices for sensor control in applications such as smart homes, smart buildings, environmental sensing, structure monitoring, trackers, and wearable devices.

The RE Family can dramatically extend the battery life of embedded devices with its ultra-low power consumption, said Renesas. The embedded controller features current consumption as low as 25 μA/MHz during operation (when using an on-chip LDO) and 400 nA during standby.

Customers can further reduce operation current consumption to 12 μA/MHz by using Renesas’s ultra-low-Iq ISL9123  as an external step-down regulator, said the company.

The device’s operating voltage range is 1.62 V to 3.6 V with high-speed operation of up to 64 MHz from 1.62 V. The embedded controller is 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, said Renesas.

An evaluation kit, EK-RE01 256 KB, is scheduled for release in late August 2020. The evaluation board includes the ISL9123 ultra-low-Iq DC/DC converter, which enables measurement of the extremely low operating current of 12 μA/MHz. In addition to the energy-harvesting element interface for energy- harvesting systems and a secondary battery connection interface, the eval board also includes an Arduino-compatible interface to simplify extended evaluation capabilities for sensor boards and a Pmod connector for extended evaluation using wireless functionality. Development tools, driver software, and low-level sample code are also available.

Sample shipments of the new RE01 embedded controller are available now, with mass production scheduled to begin in late July 2020.