Wireless MCU based on advanced 22nm process technology

Renesas Electronics Corporation has produced its first MCU based on advanced 22nm process technology. The company can offer customers superior performance at lower power consumption driven by decreased core voltages using state-of-the-art process technology. The advanced process technology also allows the integration of a rich feature set, including functions such as RF. Also, the advanced process node utilises a smaller die area for the same functionality, resulting in smaller chips with higher integration of peripherals and memory.

The first chip produced on the new 22nm process is an extension to the company’s RA family of 32-bit Arm Cortex-M microcontrollers. This new wireless MCU offers Bluetooth 5.3 Low Energy with an SDR integration. It delivers a future-proof solution for customers constructing products aimed at a long lifetime. The devices can be upgraded with new application software or Bluetooth capabilities throughout development or after deployment to ensure compliance with the latest specification versions.

End product manufacturers can use the full feature set of earlier Bluetooth LE specification releases. Whether designing devices for direction-finding applications utilising the Bluetooth 5.1 AoA/AoD features or adding low-power stereo audio transmission to products by utilising Bluetooth 5.2 isochronous channels, developers now only require one device to support all of these features.

“Renesas’ MCU leadership is based on a wide array of products and manufacturing process technologies,” said Roger Wendelken, senior vice president in Renesas’ IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit. “We are pleased to announce the first 22-nm product development in the RA MCU family, which will pave the way for next-generation devices that will help customers to future-proof their design while ensuring long-term availability. We are committed to providing the best performance, ease of use, and the latest features on the market. This advancement is only the beginning.”

The company will combine the new 22nm MCUs with many compatible devices from its portfolio to provide a wide array of Winning Combinations.