Renesas Electronics Introduces R8C Family Microcontrollers with Wireless Communication Functions Supporting ZigBee/RF4CE

TOKYO, January 25, 2011 — Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced the availability of the R8C/3MQ Group of compact microcontrollers (MCUs) with built-in flash memory, supporting the ZigBee/RF4CE (Radio frequency for consumer electronics, Note 1) international standard for household RF remote controls. The new MCUs offer the industry-leading low power consumption and capabilities for implementing non-directional two-way wireless communication in household electronics products such as TVs, Blu-ray disc recorders, and air conditioners.

The new MCUs (1) incorporate a newly developed RF transceiver circuit with ZigBee/RF4CE support that delivers stable transmission and reception with low power consumption, achieving the industry-leading low power consumption of 18 milliampere (mA) during transmission, (2) up to 128 KB of on-chip flash memory with a program/erase voltage of 1.8 V, including 4 kilobytes (KB) of data flash (Note 2) with a background operation (BGO, Note 3) function, (3) and a package that is among the smallest in the industry at 6 millimeter (mm) × 6 mm. These features allow systems designers to realize more compact and power efficient TVs and other products employing bidirectional wireless communication.

As TV screen sizes have become larger in recent years, conventional directional infrared remote controls have become less suited for tasks such as switching channels due to the difficulty of determining the position of the infrared sensor on the TV. They also lack the bidirectional communication capability required to enable billing for pay-per-view content or Internet shopping. The ZigBee Alliance released the ZigBee/RF4CE standard, which supports bidirectional wireless communication, to address these issues. In addition to TVs, ZigBee/RF4CE can also be used for applications such as air conditioners, where it facilitates “visualization of energy usage” by enabling data on temperature, energy consumption, and the like to be transmitted to the remote control. Such capabilities support efforts to reduce power consumption by monitoring electricity usage.

Renesas Electronics has been supplying ZigBee-capable solutions since 2004, noting the potential of this technology to reduce power consumption and allow the building of a richer networking environment. Since then, the market for bidirectional wireless communication devices employing ZigBee/RF4CE, which are suitable for household electronics products, has continued to grow. At the same time, demand is increasing for semiconductor devices that combine reduced power consumption and more compact dimensions for use in such products. The R8C/3MQ Group of MCUs has been developed in response to this demand.

Key features of the R8C/3MQ Group of MCUs:

(1) Industry-leading low power consumption

By embedding the newly-developed on-chip RF transceiver with ZigBee/RF4CE support, the new MCUs reduce power consumption during transmission and reception by approximately 55 percent from Renesas Electronics' existing MCU (the M16C/6B), achieving power consumption of 18 mA during transmission and 25 mA during reception. As for wireless communication characteristics, reception sensitivity is ?95 dBm (decibel-milliwatt) and transmission output level is 0 dBm, which easily satisfies the IEEE 802.15.4 (Note 4) specifications for reception sensitivity of ?85 dBm or less and for transmission output level of ?3 dBm or greater. The R8C/3MQ Group of MCUs thus contributes to lower system power consumption overall while enabling stable bidirectional transmission and reception.

(2) Up to 128 KB of on-chip flash memory with a program/erase voltage of 1.8 V

The R8C/3MQ MCUs come with up to 128 KB of on-chip flash memory with a program/erase voltage of 1.8 V, including 4 KB (four blocks of 1 KB each) of data flash with a BGO function. The R8C/3MQ MCUs' support for 1.8V operation and on-chip flash memory of program/erase allows for battery operation and longer battery life that are needed for eco-friendly household products. 4 KB data flash + BGO can be use for storage of the security parameters that are necessary for RF4CE applications. This allows for operation on battery power. In addition, lowering the operating voltage reduces power consumption and contributes to the realization of more eco-friendly household electronics products. The BGO function allows the CPU to execute instructions while the data flash is being programmed or erased using a voltage of 1.8 V. This allows developers to create programs without worrying about the programming or erasing of the data flash. In addition, the inclusion of on-chip data flash reduces the need for external EEPROM.

(3) Integration of full complement of on-chip peripheral functions in a compact package

In addition to the RF transceiver circuit with ZigBee/RF4CE support and flash memory, the R8C/3MQ Group offers many on-chip peripheral functions, such as power-on reset and BGO, in a compact 40-pin (HWQFN) package. The package measures 6 mm × 6 mm × 0.5 mm and has a mounting area only about 45 percent that of the earlier M16C/6B MCU. The small package makes it possible to design more compact systems.

The R8C/3MQ Group includes five product versions with different combinations of flash memory and RAM capacities. In addition, protocol stack software with ZigBee/RF4CE support and an evaluation board are available as development tools.

More information can be found on the separate sheet for the specifications of the new MCUs.

(Note 1)
ZigBee/RF4CE: ZigBee is a wireless communication networking standard for home networks and sensor networks. The specifications were established by the ZigBee Alliance. ZigBee Alliance: A nonprofit group based in California, U.S.A. It works to standardize the network layer and application interface, using IEEE 802.15.4 as the physical layer. More information about the ZigBee Alliance can be found at http://www.zigbee.org/ RF4CE (Radio Frequency for Consumer Electronics) is a standard for RF wireless communication in household devices based on IEEE 802.15.4.

(Note 2) Data flash:
A feature exclusive to Renesas Electronics in which an area of flash memory is set aside for storing data that normally would be stored in external electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM).

(Note 3) BGO function:
This function allows the CPU to access the area of the flash memory where programs are stored and to run applications even while the contents of the data flash are being rewritten.

(Note 4) IEEE 802.15.4:
A communication specification for near-area wireless personal area networks established by the 802.15.4 working group of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE), which is based in the U.S.

Pricing and Availability

Samples of Renesas Electronics' new R8C/3MQ Group of MCUs are scheduled to begin in December 2010 with a suggested price of US$6.0, respectively. Mass production is expected to reach a combined volume of 500,000 units per month by June 2011.

(Pricing and availability are subject to change without notice.)

About Renesas Electronics Corporation

Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) delivers trusted embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live. A global leader in microcontrollers, analog, power and SoC products, Renesas provides comprehensive solutions for a broad range of automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT applications that help shape a limitless future. Learn more at renesas.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

(Remarks) ZigBee is a registered trademark of the ZigBee Alliance, Inc. Other names of products or services mentioned in this press release are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

The content in the press release, including, but not limited to, product prices and specifications, is based on the information as of the date indicated on the document, but may be subject to change without prior notice.