As a mark of serious commitment, Dutch electronics company Royal Philips Electronics recently rolled out the industry’s first 90nm ARM9 processor-based 32-bit microcontroller family.

By utilising 90nm process technology and an ARM926EJ-S™ processor, Philips claims it can reduce power dissipation. It also maintains it can increase operating speeds of its advanced 32bit MCU technology and slash manufacturing costs.

Ata Khan, director of product innovation for Philips' Microcontroller Product Line said the LPC3000 has been designed to meet customers ongoing needs. “They demand improved performance, power management and cost,” he said.

The market is certainly there. Companies are searching for ways of migrating their 8-bit and 16-bit devices across to affordable 32-bit architectures as application requirements continue to increase.

At the same time ARM has made no secret of the fact that it wants to be the platform of choice for embedded applications using 32-bit microcontrollers. It can see ARM-compatible chips being used in a wider range of devices, such as digital appliances and PC peripherals. ARM’s goal is to seed the market for ARM-based 32-bit microcontrollers as the industry makes a transition from less powerful 8-bit and 16-bit chips, through existing ARM7 and ARM9 based devices alongside introducing the new ARM Cortex-M3 microprocessor which has been designed specifically to reduce costs in high performance microcontroller systems.

Sampling in Q2, Philips' LPC3000 family products will operate at 200MHz and feature a large array of standard communication peripherals to reduce system logic, further reducing power and costs.

System designers are working overtime to improve power dissipation, especially in handheld consumer devices in which optimal power dissipation can help to extend battery life. Philips believes its ARM9 family-based LPC3000 MCU family will provide an answer, as the 90nm technology allows for 1V operation - reducing power dissipation nine times over 3V devices.

The ARM9 family of processors also provides several power management benefits including the ability to go into a low-power state until an interrupt or debug request occurs. Peripherals such as integrated USB On-the-Go (OTG) and full USB Open Host Controller Interface (OHCI) host capability eliminate the need for an external controller, further reducing power consumption as well as cost.

The LPC3000 family of ARM9 family-based MCUs is designed for advanced applications such as USB OTG-enabled PDAs, printers and smart card readers that make it easy for consumers to print or transmit data or images without the need for a PC. The microcontroller family also includes a multi-level NAND Flash interface, allowing customers to exploit the highest density and lowest cost flash in the market.

Philips looks like it has backed a winner. "The 32-bit MCU market is set to grow from a US$2.7 billion market in 2004 to a US$6.7 billion market in 2009. With most of the major suppliers having an ARM license, ARM-based MCUs will contribute largely to this market growth," said Brian Matas, vice president, Market Research, IC Insights. "Philips is in a good position to meet the price and performance requirements of the growing market with its new ARM9 90nm MCU family." 

In-Stat market research expects the 32-bit microcontroller market to grow at a compound annual rate of 22.6 percent between 2001 and 2006. Two driving factors are contributing to that growth. One is the introduction of new applications that require higher performance, including gadgets like digital cameras, cell phones and MP3 players. Second, even such familiar applications as TV sets, car stereos and electronic toys are getting so advanced that they increasingly require performance and memory beyond the scope of 8-bit microcontrollers.

Philips has already decided on a niche for its advanced 32 bit MCU technology. It is eyeing up the advanced applications market, such as USB OTG-enabled printers and smart card readers that make it easy for consumers to print or transmit data or images without the need for a PC.

It isn’t a one horse race, however.  NEC and Fujitsu are also lining up. NEC is specifically targeting processing on hand-helds, whilst Fujitsu has its eyes set on the home multimedia sector. 

All three companies are all too aware that as you reduce process geometries, designs can get more expensive and high yields aren’t guaranteed.  The next big question is will microcontroller buyers get more bang for their buck once proper power measures have been taken care of.  Performance at 90 nm doesn’t necessarily mean it will be better than 150 nm.  If it does perform, will it be over and away above what is necessary? 

If anyone is playing it cautious to ensure they don’t provide more then is necessary it is Philips, which has a solid and established history in the microcontroller market.  The solution incorporates a single ARM926 and comes with a fairly standard array of microcontroller on-chip peripherals.  Nothing complex has been included that could upset the 90-nm process.  It hasn’t got the power under the bonnet of the Fujitsu FR550, which zips along at 533 MHz, but the LPC3000 is hardly chugging along at 200 MHz and should be ample for even the most power hungry applications.

In the future 32-bit MCUs will offer great processing throughput and more features at a reduced cost. Coupled with this 90nm processing technology definitely looks like it has the form to lead from the front. 

The right microcontroller is critical to a project’s success. Here we have yet another alternative for design teams, which has to be a good thing. But how long before 65nm becomes the latest industry buzz word!