Announcement of cutting-edge single-chip Bluetooth Low Energy SoC based on an ultra-small package
WL-CSP type nRF52832, 3.0 x 3.2mm ultra-small footprint size

Nordic Semiconductor announced that it is supplying a Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WL-CSP) nRF52832 Bluetooth Low Energy (formerly named Bluetooth Smart) System-on-Chip (SoC) with a footprint only one-quarter the size of the standard package type nRF52832. This product is designed for next-generation high-performance wearable applications.

The nRF52832 WL-CSP is only 3.0 x 3.2 mm in size, which is very compact compared to the existing nRF52832 QFN type product with a footprint of 6.0 x 6.0 mm, yet it integrates all the same functions into a single chip and enables the operation of the highest level of ultra-low power applications. In particular, the powerful onboard 64MHz ARM® Cortex®-M4F processor can complete protocol and application processing tasks in a very short time, allowing it to enter sleep mode much faster than competing devices, thereby reducing power consumption.

Like the nRF52832, the nRF52832 WL-CSP features 512kB flash and 64kB RAM, a Touch-to-Pair supported on-chip NFC™ tag familiar to consumers, the highest level of ultra-high performance and ultra-low power multi-protocol Bluetooth Low Energy and ANT™, a proprietary 2.4GHz wireless protocol, 5.5mA RX/TX peak current, and an on-chip RF balun, and enables designers to easily achieve optimal power consumption through a unique fully automatic power management system.

The nRF52832 WL-CSP is compatible with Nordic’s Bluetooth 4.2 stack and supports the latest feature-rich S132 software stack, as well as the 'nRF5 SDK', 'nRF5 SDK for HomeKit', and 'nRF5 SDK for Airfuel' for resonant wireless charging.

“The wearable market has been evolving toward delivering much better performance and functionality than before in slimmer and lighter form factors,” said Kjetil Holstad, Ultra Low Power Wireless Product Manager at Nordic Semiconductor. “The nRF52832 WL-CSP is the smallest, most advanced Bluetooth Low Energy SoC, significantly different from solutions currently available on the market,” they stated.

The nRF52832 WL-CSP is currently available for mass production.