For low-power applications
STM32L, an ultra-low power ARM Cortex™-M3 core MCU
Announcement of Product Expansion and Mass Production Supply

STM32L MCUs Ready to Support Continuous Healthcare Applications

– STMicroelectronics ( www.st.com ), a world-leading integrated semiconductor company and leading MCU supplier, has expanded its 32-bit MCU, the STM32L series, by adding devices with memory densities of 256Kbyte and 384Kbyte, thereby providing embedded application engineers with flash memory capacities ranging from 32Kbyte to up to 384Kbyte. The STM32L series has now entered mass production, and the first devices in the series offering 64Kbyte and 128Kbyte memory densities are scheduled for full-scale mass supply in late March 2011. STM32L series MCUs with 32Kbyte memory are scheduled for supply in the second quarter of 2011.

ST’s STM32L is the first MCU among the world’s top 10 semiconductor companies to feature the ultra-low power ARM® Cortex™-M3, delivering 33 DMIPS of performance at up to 32 MHz. The STM32L is part of ST’s comprehensive 32-bit STM32 family, consisting of over 180 products that provide complete pin, software, and peripheral compatibility to maximize flexibility.

The STM32L combines ST's proprietary low-leakage 130nm process technology with an optimized power-saving architecture to provide industry-leading energy saving performance. The STM32L series also features ST's ultra-low-power EnergyLite™ platform, enabling designers to optimize performance, functionality, and battery life, and meet efficiency-related evaluation criteria such as eco-friendly design. Furthermore, for touch applications, the STM32L is supported by ST's third-generation STMTouch™ capacitive touch firmware library. This firmware currently supports over 200 products in ST's 8-bit STM8 and 32-bit STM32 product families.

ST also announced that the USB driver for the STM32L is being applied to Continua Health Alliance certified applications. Full certification is scheduled to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2011. The successful application of the USB interface in medical applications has enabled the standardization and development of a dedicated class of devices known as the Personal Healthcare Device Class (PHDC). This class supports medical devices, such as exercise watches, blood pressure monitors, thermometers, scales, and blood glucose meters, connecting to a host to facilitate communication between individuals and fitness coaches or between patients and doctors.

Michel Buffa, General Manager of ST’s Microcontroller Business Unit, said, “The ultra-low power STM32L series provides the optimal balance between power consumption and performance for developers of advanced embedded applications. “With Continua certification and expanded to offer a wider range of memory capacities, the STM32L series will be the best microcontroller for low-power applications in various markets ranging from healthcare to consumer electronics and industrial sectors,” he said.

price
Based on a supply of 10,000 units, the MCU price is $1.60 for the STM32L151, which comes with 32Kbyte flash memory and LQFP48, and $2.81 for the STM32L152, which comes with 128Kbyte flash memory and LQFP100.

STM32L Series – Technical Details

• Continua PHDC USB Package
USB PHDC (Personal Healthcare Device Class) is the first wired communication transmission layer approved and adopted by the International u-Health Medical Device Standards Association, an open industry consortium in which more than 200 companies worldwide, including ST, participate with the mission of advancing healthcare.

ST provides PHDC USB packages containing a USB stack for medical applications on STM32L MCUs, as well as all USB classes such as mass storage, human interface devices (HID), audio, and DFUs for field updates of firmware. This stack is based on USB PHDC and IEEE-11073 standards and supports communication between the device and the host according to the Continua standard. The STM32L's integrated USB 2.0 Full Speed also ensures that the device can support "handset ready".

• Security and Safety - System Functions
The STM32L series offers not only superior energy efficiency but also numerous features that enhance data security and safe system operation, such as flexible Brown-Out Reset, on-board flash supporting ECC (Error Correction Code), an MPU (Memory Protection Unit), and JTAG fuses. These features are recommended for all applications requiring secure product operation and high-level security code and user data management capabilities.

• EnergyLite™ Platform Architecture
The core technology behind the STM32L's industry-leading energy efficiency is ST's ultra-low-power EnergyLite™ platform. This platform is also shared across ST's 8-bit MCU family, the STM8L, and is based on proprietary 130nm technology optimized for ultra-low leakage to maximize efficiency whether the MCU is active or in standby mode. Furthermore, the embedded memory is based on ST's proprietary low-power flash technology. Integrated support for Direct Memory Access (DMA) allows peripherals to remain active, enabling developers to achieve significant energy savings by switching the flash and CPU off even while applications are running. In addition, the STM32L's embedded LCD driver facilitates simpler, lower-cost, and miniaturized application designs.

• Ultra-low power mode
In addition to power-saving characteristics related to fundamental process technology, the STM32L series provides various features that enable developers to optimize application power consumption. With 6 ultra-low power modes, the device can complete tasks while consuming minimal energy during that time.

The operating modes (for 1.8V and 3V supply voltages under 25°C conditions) are as follows:

o For low-power operation mode under 32kHz conditions, 9uA for a 1.8V/3V supply voltage
o 4.9uA for a 1.8V/3V supply voltage in low-power standby mode with 1 timer enabled
o In STOP mode, 1.3 uA for a 1.8V supply voltage, 1.6 uA for a 3V supply voltage: RTC (Real-Time Clock), context preservation, RAM retention
o In STOP mode, 0.45 uA for a 1.8V supply voltage, 0.5 uA for a 3V supply voltage: No RTC (Real-Time Clock), context preserved, RAM retained
o 1.0uA for a 1.8V supply voltage and 1.3uA for a 3V supply voltage in Standby mode: RTC (Real-Time