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Author | strongerHuang
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Although the pandemic in 2020 affected many world-renowned MCU manufacturers, leading to price increases for their chips, it must be said that there is still a gap between our domestic chips and those from many well-known manufacturers.
Today, we will learn about the MCU products from several well-known MCU manufacturers in the world.
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ConceptsMCU:Microcontroller Unit, or MCU;
MPU:Microprocessor Unit;
DSC:Digital Signal Controller;
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STMicroelectronics was formed in 1987 by the merger of SGS Microelectronics from Italy and Thomson Semiconductors from France.
In 1998, SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics changed its name to STMicroelectronics.
ST’s STM32 is quite well-known in China; anyone who has developed with MCUs should know about STM32.
ST’s MCU website:
https://www.st.com/en/microcontrollers-microprocessors.html
ST’s MCUs can be divided into 8-bit STM8, 32-bit STM32, and SPC5.
1.STM8
STM8 mainly targets the C51 market and is a low-performance 8-bit MCU. It is mainly divided into three categories:
STM8S:Mainstream MCU
STM8L:Ultra-low power MCU
STM8AF, STM8AL:Automotive-grade MCU
2.STM32 MCU
STM32 MCU includes four categories:
High-performance MCU:STM32F2, F4, F7, H7
Mainstream MCU:STM32F0, F1, F3, G0, G4
Low-power MCU:STM32L0, L1, L4, L5
Wireless MCU:STM32WB
3.STM32 MPUSupports OpenSTLinux; currently, there is only one MP1 series.
4.SPC5SPC5 is a 32-bit automotive-grade MCU, which includes two series:SPC5 G:General-purpose MCU;SPC5 P:High-performance MCU;
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NXP Semiconductors was founded in 2006, previously established by Philips over 50 years ago. Headquartered in the Netherlands.
Interlude:
In 2015, NXP acquired Freescale, and since then, you will find that Freescale’s products are categorized under NXP, and even the website has been redirected to the NXP site.
Website:
www.nxp.com
www.freescale.com
NXP has a wide range of MCU products across 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit platforms, featuring leading low power, analog, control, and communication IP capabilities.
Processor and microcontroller website:
https://www.nxp.com.cn/products/processors-and-microcontrollers:MICROCONTROLLERS-AND-PROCESSORS
NXP’s processors can be divided into five categories:
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Arm Processors
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Arm Microcontrollers
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Power Architecture
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Other Processors and MCUs
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Traditional MCUs/MPUs
These five categories are further refined into many contents; here I will highlight a few typical ones.
1.Arm Processors
The ARM-based product portfolio offers extremely high integration, extensive software and hardware support, and comprehensive performance. Arm processors are divided into two categories:
2.General-purpose Microcontrollers
NXP has a wide range of Arm microcontrollers, officially categorized into four types:
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Microcontrollers
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Automotive Microcontrollers
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Wireless Connectivity Microcontrollers
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Older Model Microcontrollers
Here, I will focus on the well-known general-purpose microcontrollers.NXP combines the advantages of Kinetis and LPC technologies, and the general-purpose MCUs are based on the Cortex®-M core, mainly including four categories:LPC800 Series:Value-oriented, entry-level, 8-bit alternatives;K32 L Series:Ultra-low power, optimized for low-power applications;LPC5500 Series:Mainstream efficiency, balancing integration, performance, and cost through embedded memory;i.MX RT Cross-Over Processors:Performance and integration, ultra-high performance, and memory scalability;
3.i.MX Application Processors
i.MX application processors are based on 32 and 64-bit Arm® technology, multi-core solutions suitable for multimedia and display applications, featuring high performance, low power, scalability, and security.
Includes five series:
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i.MX RT Series
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i.MX 8 Series
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i.MX 7 Series
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i.MX 6 Series
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i.MX28 Series
i.MX RT Series Cross-Over MCU
The i.MX RT series cross-over MCU is the star here; the recent 1GHz RT1170 breaks the traditional low-speed of MCUs.
The i.MX RT series cross-over MCU is further divided into multiple series:
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Microchip Technology is an American company founded in 1989, which acquired (the well-known) Atmel in 2016. Website:
www.atmel.com
www.microchip.com
Due to the acquisition, Microchip’s products include Atmel’s products, such as AVR microcontrollers.Microchip’s microprocessors are mainly divided into four categories:
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8-bit MCUs
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16-bit MCUs and DSCs
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32-bit MCUs
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32-bit MPUs
I have previously used several Microchip MCUs, and my impression is that they are stable, but the development environment is difficult to use, and the prices are relatively high.
1.8-bit Microcontrollers
Microchip’s 8-bit microcontrollers mainly include two families: PIC and AVR.
Features:
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The simplest entry point for MCU development
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Designed for real-time control applications
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Fully compatible device series members
2.16-bit MCUs and DSCs
PIC24 microcontrollers are very suitable for applications that require performance or storage capabilities exceeding 8-bit MCUs.
Divided into two categories: PIC24 MCUs and dsPIC® DSCs. Includes: PIC24, dsPIC30, dsPIC33, etc.
Features:
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MCUs with the simplicity of DSP performance
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Precise motor control and sensorless field-oriented control
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Efficient digital power conversion with power factor correction
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Robust functional safety for critical safety applications
3.32-bit MCUs
Microchip’s 32-bit microcontrollers offer higher performance.
Features:
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Low power, high-performance MCUs capable of running multi-threaded applications
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Hardware-based touch and graphics capabilities for HMI applications
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Security features include secure boot, secure firmware updates, hardware isolation, key protection, etc.
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Highly integrated connectivity: CAN-FD / CAN, high-speed USB, Ethernet
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A wide product portfolio offers scalability to easily meet changing market demands
There are three different performance levels and multiple series:
4.32-bit MPUsMicrochip’s 32-bit microprocessors are also positioned as “high-end” MCUs capable of running Linux applications.Features:
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Accessible MPU development, regardless of experience with SoM, SiP, and IC options
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Scalable security solutions, from basic secure communication and storage to the implementation of secure areas
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Hardware-based touch and graphics capabilities for HMI applications
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Supports bare metal, RTOS, and Linux, with peripheral driver support
Newly launched MPU: SAM9X60
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600MHz ARM926EJ-S core, 200MHz system/memory bus
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24-bit LCD controller with a resolution of up to 1024×768
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2D graphics engine, camera interface
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Built-in Class D amplifier
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13 FLEXCOMs (USART, SPI, and I²C)
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Texas Instruments (TI) is a leading global semiconductor company providing innovative digital signal processing (DSP) and analog device technologies for real-world signal processing.Speaking of TI, everyone is familiar with it; the once-popular MSP430 is still more popular than many products today.Website:www.ti.comTI mainly has 16-bit and 32-bit microcontrollers, website:
http://www.ti.com.cn/zh-cn/microcontrollers/overview.html
1.Arm®-based SimpleLink™ Wireless MCUs and Wired MCUsThose developing wireless products should have heard of TI’s products, which come with supporting tools.Divided into three categories:
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SimpleLink Wireless MCUs
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SimpleLink Wired MCUs
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SimpleLink Wireless Network Processors
2.Ultra-low Power MSP430™ MCUsThis product is considered classic; at least in my age group (around 1990), everyone should know it.Divided into three categories:
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Value Series MCUs
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Capacitive Sensing MCUs
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Ultrasonic and High-Performance Sensing MCUs
3.Real-Time Control C2000™ MCUsOptimized for real-time control-intensive applications (including electric vehicles, industrial drives, and digital power).Divided into two categories:
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Entry-level High-Performance Piccolo™ MCUs
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High-End High-Performance Delfino™ MCUs
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Renesas Electronics was established on April 1, 2003, by the merger of Hitachi’s semiconductor division and Mitsubishi Electric’s semiconductor division.Headquarters:Tokyo, Japan.Renesas Electronics’ MCUs can be divided into 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, and 64-bit MCUs, website:
https://www2.renesas.cn/cn/zh/products/microcontrollers-microprocessors.html
1.RL78 Series 8/16-bit Ultra-Low Power MCUs
Maximum operating frequency:
20-32MHz
Application range:
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General-purpose
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Sensors
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Motor control
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LCD displays
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Low-power Bluetooth®
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Sub-GHz wireless communication
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Security
2.RX Series 32-bit High Power Efficiency MCUsMaximum operating frequency:32-240MHzApplication range:
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General-purpose
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Motor control
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Security
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Capacitive touch
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Battery-powered
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LCD control
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Industrial networking
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Cloud connectivity
3.RA Series 32-bit MCUs with Arm® Cortex®-M CoreMaximum operating frequency:48-200MHzApplication range:
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Motor control
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LCD control
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Networking
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Capacitive touch
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Security
4.RZ Series High-End MPUs Based on 64-bit and 32-bit ArmMaximum operating frequency:125MHz to 1.5GHzApplication range:
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Human-machine interface
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High-definition graphics
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Artificial intelligence inference
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Machine vision
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Industrial networking
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Real-time control
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