Seoul, South Korea, April 10, 2014 – Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE: FSL) is helping automotive and industrial system designers reduce the cost and complexity of application designs required to meet functional safety standards. Freescale today announced a new system basis chip (SBC) that supports stringent system-level functional safety that is integrated into a high-efficiency DC/DC switching regulator to reduce overall energy consumption.

Developed with key functional safety requirements in mind, Freescale’s MC33907 and MC33908 SBCs work seamlessly with 32-bit microcontrollers (MCUs), such as Freescale’s Qorivva series devices, to provide integrated functional safety for a wide range of power segmentation architectures in a scalable power supply solution that combines power management and communications. For system designers, this results in an easy-to-use software/hardware solution that supports the specific functional safety requirements of multiple applications, simplifying design, minimizing the use of external components, and reducing bill of materials costs.

Featuring high efficiency from a dual DC/DC switching regulator architecture and unique low-voltage operation down to 2.7 V, the MC33907 and MC33908 power microcontrollers and other system loads, while maintaining system operation during power-down events such as the cranking pulse during automotive start-up. Ultra-low-power modes and an innovative wake-up feature reduce system dark current to 30 µA, limiting system standby energy consumption and battery discharge. The devices’ configurable voltage regulator capability enables the design of a scalable platform solution optimized for 32-bit MCUs that support functional safety certification in multiple automotive or industrial applications.

“Compliance with functional safety regulations can be difficult and costly,” said James Bates, vice president and general manager of Freescale’s Analog and Sensors Group. “Freescale is making it faster and easier to achieve compliance with new system-basis chips designed to meet the most stringent functional safety requirements, ISO 26262 ASIL D, as well as automotive OEMs’ latest requirements for ESD and electromagnetic compatibility.”

The functional safety of the MC33907 and MC33908 products has been verified by a leading third-party certification body. The safety architecture and approach of both products were shown to exceed ISO 26262 ASIL-D for safety applications. Both system-based chips are part of Freescale’s SafeAssure program, which provides a broad set of MCU, sensor, and analog IC solutions, along with functional safety application design support including training, safety literature, and technical support.

The total system current output capability of the two devices is 2A, with the MC33908 capable of supplying up to 1.5A of core current and the MC33907 capable of supplying up to 0.7A. In addition to these integrated and independent safety measures to reduce common cause tailure, they feature a robust CAN physical layer and serial peripheral interface compliant with ISO 11898-2-5 to enable control and diagnostics of the target MCU.