May 21, 2014, Seoul, Korea — Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE:FSL, www.freescale.com; Country Manager for Korea, Yeon-Ho Hwang), a longtime leader in automotive semiconductors, continues to drive market innovation with the introduction of the ARM®-based Kinetis series MCUs (microcontrollers) to the automotive market. Building on traditional leadership in automotive MCUs, the new Kinetis EA series is designed to dramatically shorten and streamline the development process for automotive body electronics applications by leveraging innovative, state-of-the-art development environments. Tier-one suppliers can shorten their research and development (R&D) timeline by more than two weeks by developing initial prototypes in as little as 24 hours using the Kinetis EA series MCUs.

The latest Kinetis EA Series MCUs, incorporating the widely adopted ARM Cortex® architecture, are expected to be particularly welcomed in China, where time-to-market is critical and there are many developers proficient in ARM architecture. The development environment planned for the Kinetis EA Series MCUs is a unique solution in the industry, featuring a suite of easy-to-use tools that enable both less experienced and experienced automotive application engineers to rapidly develop prototypes, along with comprehensive automotive reference designs. In addition, prototype development is possible within 24 hours through an automotive development portal that includes an integrated software and hardware development package that guides users through a wide range of general processes step-by-step and can reduce development time and costs.

Target applications for the Kinetis EA Series MCUs include general body electronics such as body control, parking assist, CAN/LIN nodes, and interior lighting, as well as engine control systems for two-wheel powertrains, along with seats, sunroofs, and fuel/coolant pump systems. By complementing Freescale’s continued investment in the extensive 32-bit Qorivva and S12 MagniV multi-signal MCU family, the Kinetis EA Series solutions ultimately provide customers with a very comprehensive range of electronic design options.

"Freescale possesses a very broad automotive product portfolio, and through ARM-based MCUs, we are expanding these strengths while providing customers with competitive time-to-market," said Bob Conrad, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Freescale's Automotive Microcontroller business unit. "Freescale continues to invest in a wide range of automotive microcontrollers and is expanding its product share across vehicles by introducing Kinetis MCUs into the automotive sector. With its exceptional automotive experience, outstanding connectivity support, rigorous automotive certifications, and pin-compatible scalability, Freescale is positioned to position the Kinetis EA series in a unique position to accelerate the mainstream adoption of ARM-based MCUs in the international automotive market."

"Freescale is focusing on services and innovation for the automotive market not only in China but also globally," said Ian Ferguson, Senior Vice President of Segment Marketing at ARM. “The ARM architecture is well-suited to meet the unique low-power and performance requirements of the automotive market, and ARM-linked systems enable developers to access third-party IP and resources to shorten time-to-market,” he said. “ARM is very pleased to collaborate with Freescale, a leader in automotive electronics, to further expand the adoption of our architecture into new in-vehicle applications.”

The technical features of the Kinetis EA series MCU are as follows.
• Pin compatibility within the Kinetis EA MCU series: The high rate of hardware and software reuse dramatically reduces development resources, costs, and time.
• An automotive-grade 32-bit MCU based on an ARM Cortex-M0+ core operating at 48MHz, providing enhanced ESD/EMC performance with AEC-Q100 grade 1 certification that meets harsh requirements corresponding to a temperature range of -40°C to 125°C.
• A highly scalable solution featuring up to 128KB of flash memory, package options of up to 80LQFP (71 GPIOs), and support designs that allow for easy expansion to meet the requirements of various automotive applications.
• Can drive high-current motors/components in the voltage range of 2.7V to 5.5V. 5V analog/sensor components that easily connect to system-level designs
• Advanced automotive connectivity features through a rich set of peripherals including CAN, LIN (SCI), SPI, and IIC
• Proven automotive IP including ADCs, ACMP, and multiple timers (FTM, PWM, PIT, PWT, RTC) available in packages suitable for most automotive applications
• High-speed prototyping tools supporting high-quality software development, including IDEs, Processor Expert software modeling tools, MQX™ RTOS, and AUTOSAR
• Reference software code provided for free, including LIN/CAN drivers, flash initialization, motor control libraries, etc.

Support tools scheduled for supply include reference designs (including motor control, networking, LED lighting, and two-wheel engine control), bodywork, lighting, software packs for motor control, driver packages, and affordable StarterTRAK boards. Furthermore, the EA Series is backed by a team of skilled professionals with in-depth knowledge of the automotive industry, top OEMs and suppliers, and the stringent demands of the market.