March 12, 2014, Seoul – Infineon Technologies (Korea Representative Director Seung-soo Lee) announced that it has begun mass production of the XMC1000 microcontroller, which features the ARM® Cortex™-M0 processor and delivers 32-bit performance at an 8-bit price. Infineon also announced the addition of a new extremely miniaturized VQFN (Very Thin Quad Flat No Lead) package product to the XMC1000 family and the provision of a new ARM® Microcontroller Development Kit (MDK) free of charge. The XMC1000 microcontroller is designed for applications such as sensor and actuator applications, LED lighting, simple motor drives (home appliances, pumps, fans, etc.), and digital power conversion (UPS, uninterruptible power supplies, etc.).

Maurizio Skerlj, Senior Director of the Industrial and Multimarket Microcontroller Business Unit at Infineon Technologies, said, “Infineon’s XMC1000 microcontroller offers a distinct advantage in transitioning applications such as motor drives, sensors, and actuators, which require a very compact design, from an 8-bit to a 32-bit architecture. Currently, there is no competitor that offers such outstanding functionality in a package as small as the XMC1000 in the VQFN-24 package.”

By adding 24-pin and 40-pin VQFN package products, Infineon has further diversified its XMC1000 industrial microcontroller portfolio, which currently includes over 30 products. The XMC1000 microcontroller available in the VQFN-24 package measures only 4mm x 4mm. Currently, the XMC1000 is the only product on the market that offers outstanding features, such as up to 200KB of flash memory and application-optimized control peripherals, in such a small package. Therefore, the XMC1000 microcontroller is ideally suited for applications such as motor drives, sensors, and actuators that require a very compact design. In addition to the VQFN package, the XMC1000 microcontroller is also available in 16-pin, 28-pin, and 38-pin TSSOP packages.

The XMC1000 family is designed for industrial applications where 8-bit MCUs have traditionally been used primarily. The three series within this family—the XMC1100 (Entry Series), XMC1200 (Feature Series), and XMC1300 (Control Series)—offer different memory capacities and sets of peripherals. These products offer flash sizes ranging from 8KB to 200KB, providing a much wider range of memory sizes compared to conventional 8-bit MCUs currently used in industrial applications. Additionally, the XMC1000 MCU includes a high-performance PWM timer, a 12-bit A/D converter, and a programmable serial communication interface.

All products in the XMC1200 series include modules for use in touch control and LED displays, and a peripheral unit called the BCCU (Brightness and Color Control Unit) for controlling the brightness and color of LEDs. The XMC1300 series includes a mathematical coprocessor for use in motor drive control.

In addition, all microcontroller products in the XMC1000 family (like the XMC4000 family) meet the IEC60730 Class B standard, which is the standard required for the safety of consumer electronics sold in Europe. As an example, XMC MCUs provide hardware ECC (error correction code) and accompanying memory testing. Another unique feature is the flash loader using a 128-bit AES accelerator, which enables better protection of software IP, a critical point especially in cost-sensitive applications.

All XMC1000 series 16-pin, 28-pin, and 38-pin TSSOP package products are currently in mass production. Samples of the VQFN-24 package product are currently being supplied. Mass production of the VQFN-24 and VQFN-40 package products is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Boot kits are provided for all XMC1000 series to enable easy and cost-effective evaluation, and comprehensive application kits are also offered for XMC1000 target applications. In addition, third-party partners and Infineon support powerful software tools and rapidly available software solutions for XMC MCUs. Furthermore, Infineon licenses the “Silicon Vendor Edition” of the ARM® Microcontroller Development Kit (MDK). Therefore, embedded software developers can download the ARM MDK for free at www2.keil.com/Infineon/mdk. It includes all the tools necessary to develop XMC1000 applications with code sizes up to 128KB. Application libraries written using DAVE™ can be imported into the ARM MDK with just a few simple clicks in the CMSIS-PACK interface.