AUSTIN, Texas, Dec 14, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Addressing the need for energy efficiency in power-sensitive
applications, Silicon
Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in high-performance,
analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs, has introduced the industry's lowest
power microcontroller (MCU) family. Silicon Labs' ultra-low-power
C8051F91x/0x MCUs dramatically increase battery life in portable designs
and other power-sensitive embedded systems. The new F91x/0x MCUs are
ideal for a wide range of applications where low power consumption is
critical such as smart meters, RFID tags, personal medical devices,
sensor interfaces, energy harvesting, home security systems, and smoke
and fire detectors.
Consuming the industry's lowest current in common modes of operation,
the 8-bit F91x/0x MCUs enable the lowest system-level power consumption
in the embedded market. The power-efficient MCUs offer the lowest active
mode current consumption (160 microamps per MHz), which saves power when
the system is running. They also consume the lowest current in sleep
mode, either with an active real-time clock and brown-out detect circuit
(300 nanoamps) or without a real-time clock or brown-out detect circuit
operating (10 nanoamps) while maintaining full RAM retention.
"When evaluating MCU alternatives, power-conscious system designers
should assess a combination of active and sleep mode currents," said
Tony Massimini, chief of technology at Semico Research Corporation.
"Silicon Labs has designed its F91x/0x MCU family to deliver impressive
low power consumption in both modes. In addition, the new MCU family
taps into an extensive code base and offers an ideal memory size and
peripheral set for optimal cost and power efficiencies."
In systems that use sleep modes, a significant amount of power can be
wasted waking up the MCU and preparing it to acquire or process data.
The F91x/0x family has been designed to wake up in an extremely short
amount of time (less than two microseconds), minimizing the amount of
time spent in an energy-wasting state. These industry-leading low-power
specifications enable manufacturers to either extend the battery
lifetime of their end products or potentially use smaller batteries,
saving additional system cost.
"Silicon Labs' F91x/0x family leapfrogs other competitive MCUs by
providing the lowest current in common operating modes without
sacrificing performance, features or specifications," said Mark
Thompson, vice president of Silicon Laboratories. "No other MCU vendor
matches Silicon Labs' best-in-class power consumption in both sleep and
active modes, further establishing our leadership in ultra-low-power
MCUs for power-sensitive applications."
The F91x/0x MCUs expand Silicon Labs' award-winning C8051F9xx
MCU family by offering cost-effective 8 kB and 16 kB flash memory
options while providing 25 MIPS core performance and advanced analog
peripherals such as an on-chip 12-bit analog-to-digital (ADC) converter
with an autonomous power-saving burst mode. Silicon Labs'
ultra-low-power F9xx family MCUs are software and footprint compatible,
enabling developers to use one board layout and code set while migrating
to lower-cost designs.
The F91x/0x MCUs integrate a highly efficient dc-to-dc converter
designed to operate down to 0.9 V, enabling low-cost AA or AAA battery
operation, which supports smaller form factors, reduces system cost and
provides an innovative way to extend battery life. In addition, the
dc-to-dc converter can supply up to 65 mW of output power to drive other
system components such as LEDs, RF transceivers and sensors, creating a
true single-battery system solution. This environmentally friendly,
low-voltage capability ultimately helps consumers save money by reducing
the number of batteries required for a given application by half.
Unparalleled Development Support
Silicon Labs' comprehensive development tools help speed design and
accelerate market entry. The F91x/0x family is supported by the
full-featured C8051F912 development kit, F912-based ToolStick
and optional ToolStick Programming Adapters. C8051F9xx example code and
Silicon Labs' battery
life estimator GUI, a tool that helps designers optimize power, are
also available at www.silabs.com/pr/lowpower
and as part of each CD that ships with the development kit.
The ultra-low-power F91x/0x MCUs can be paired with Silicon Labs' CP240x
liquid crystal display (LCD) drivers for power-sensitive designs that
require LCDs such as thermostat displays, home security systems and
personal medical devices. In addition, developers can combine an F91x/0x
MCU with Silicon Labs' EZRadioPRO(R)
wireless receivers for use in wireless nodes for weather stations,
water and gas meters, home automation and security systems. Silicon Labs
offers an RF-to-USB reference design that demonstrates sub-gigahertz,
USB and low-power technologies for F91x/0x-based platforms.
Pricing and Availability
The C8051F91x/0x family is available in a compact, 24-pin 4x4 mm
package, which is ideal for space-constrained applications. Pricing for
the C8051F91x MCUs starts at $1.69 in 10K quantities, and F90x 10K
pricing starts at $1.53 (USD). C8051F912 development kits are available
for $99. The ToolStick912DC daughtercard is available for $9.90, and the
ToolStick912 UPP programmer is available for $69.00 (all prices USD).
For additional product information and to purchase samples and
development tools, please visit www.silabs.com/pr/lowpower.
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Silicon Laboratories is an industry leader in the innovation of
high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs. Developed by a
world-class engineering team with unsurpassed expertise in mixed-signal
design, Silicon Labs' diverse portfolio of highly-integrated,
easy-to-use products offers customers significant advantages in
performance, size and power consumption. These patented solutions serve
a broad set of markets and applications including consumer,
communications, computing, industrial and automotive.
Headquartered in Austin, TX, Silicon Labs is a global enterprise with
operations, sales and design activities worldwide. The company is
committed to contributing to our customers' success by recruiting the
highest quality talent to create industry-changing innovations. For more
information about Silicon Labs, please visit www.silabs.com.
Cautionary Language
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on
Silicon Laboratories' current expectations. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important
factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in
the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of factors that could
impact Silicon Laboratories' financial results and cause actual results
to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements,
please refer to Silicon Laboratories' filings with the SEC. Silicon
Laboratories disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise
any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
Note to editors: Silicon Laboratories, Silicon Labs, the "S" symbol, the
Silicon Laboratories logo, and the Silicon Labs logo are trademarks of
Silicon Laboratories Inc. All other product names noted herein may be
trademarks of their respective holders.
SOURCE: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Dale Weisman, +1-512-532-5871
dale.weisman@silabs.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009