Fujitsu Europe intros MCU with embedded FRAM

LONDON, UK: A second generation 8-bit microcontroller featuring embedded FRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory) has been introduced by Fujitsu Semiconductor Europe.

The MB95R203A includes 64-kbits (8-kbytes) of user-accessible FRAM, can be partitioned as either ROM or RAM. The device possesses the ability to change data and work memory space, which makes it suitable for some applications and programming requirements, said media reports.

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It has a read/write endurance specified as 1015 times, and data retention is guaranteed for 10 years. The high speed non-volatile nature of FRAM gives it the advantage of writing so fast that the MCU does not need to wait for the write operation to complete. Most appealing is that this high-speed write operation allows data to be written quickly even if power is lost suddenly.

The MB95R203A operates with power supplies ranging from 1.8 to 3.6V. It also incorporates timers and communication functions, as well as high-precision A/D converters, UART, I2C, and 16 I/O ports. The controller employs one-line on-chip debug, which requires only a single MCU pin. The number of pins available for use in smart meters is maximized through an embedded oscillator circuit, consumer appliances, electric tools, and other product designs.

The MB95R203A is shipped in 20-pin SOP packages. Sources say that samples are available now and production quantities will be ready by the end of November 2010, although prices were not revealed.