February 20, 2014, Seoul – STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company contributing to customers across a wide range of electronic applications, announced that it is introducing a new 32-bit general-purpose microcontroller that will significantly extend battery life in various applications, including consumer, healthcare, and industrial.

The newly introduced STM32L0 ultra-low power series microcontroller features a 32MHz ARM® Cortex™M0+ processor core, a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that sets a new standard for low power consumption, and a USB FS 2.0 crystal-less solution.

In applications such as exercise trackers and household smoke detectors powered by non-rechargeable batteries, an ADC is installed that consumes only 40µA at a conversion rate of 100ksps and rises to 200µA even at 1.14msps. Combined with the excellent power efficiency of the processor core and ultra-low power peripherals, the need for frequent battery replacement is eliminated, reducing end-user costs and the environmental burden of waste battery disposal. For example, an STM32L0-based exercise tracker powered by a non-rechargeable coin cell battery can be used for up to two years without battery replacement.

The second advantage is that it facilitates manufacturers' design of battery-equipped devices, allowing for a reduction in the size and cost of products such as blood glucose meters and other rapidly growing portable health and fitness devices. In addition, these new products are manufactured using ST's proprietary CMOS technology, provide embedded EEPROM, and minimize power consumption variation across the 25–125°C temperature range to maintain low power consumption levels even at elevated temperatures. These features make them particularly suitable for industrial sensor applications utilizing batteries or energy harvesting capabilities.

“The STM32L0 series is the result of continuous research to minimize power consumption in all electronic products,” said Michel Buffa, Business General Manager of ST Microcontrollers. “With this leading product, we can help customers provide more competitive products, enabling users to enjoy rapid benefits in both cost and convenience, and globally, it can lead to a reduction in the use of disposable batteries.”

The STM32L0 series is available in three configurations: Access Line, USB Line, and USB/LCD Line. All three lines offer excellent power consumption across various modes, with 139µA/MH at 32MHz, 87µA/MHz in Optimized mode, 400nA in Full RAM Retention Stop mode, and a 3.5µs wake-up time. Additionally, they feature up to 64KB of Flash memory, 8KB of SRAM, and 2KB of True Embedded EEPROM, enabling 16-bit ADC resolution through embedded hardware oversampling. Equipped with a USB FS 2.0 interface, the STM32L0 chips support battery charge detection and link power management. The USB Crystalless feature is implemented via an embedded 48MHz oscillator. Embedded Hardware Engine Encryption (AES) is available as an option across all product lines.

The STM32L0 device is part of ST’s STM32 family of microcontrollers, the world’s most widely used ARM-based microcontrollers, allowing users to enjoy the various benefits unique to the STM32 development ecosystem. In addition, because it uses a pin-to-pin method compatible with STM32L1 or other STM32 chips, opportunities for power savings can be expanded through rapid design upgrades.

The new products are available in UQFN32 (5x5mm), LQFP32 (7x7mm), LQFP48 (7x7mm), LQFP64 (10x10mm), and BGA64 (5x5mm) packages, and samples are currently available at $0.85 per unit for orders of 1,000 or more. Mass production is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2014.