ST announces volume production of STM8L ultra-low-power MCUs

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: STMicroelectronics has announced full production of the STM8L ultra low-power microcontroller family. Unveiled in late 2009, the new family features EnergyLite technology to minimize power consumption in all operating modes.

Ultra-low-power microcontrollers meet the fast growing demand for energy efficiency, helping designers to extend the lifetime of battery-operated products and to reduce energy consumption in applications such as smart meters and domestic appliances.
Common power-saving techniques include sleep modes and shutting off unused parts of the chip, but ST's EnergyLite technology also saves power when the device is active.

This helps designers meet energy efficiency targets such as ENERGY STAR 80 Plus, the international program that promotes more energy-efficient power supplies, as well as standby-power limits such as the IEA's 1-Watt Plan.

The STM8L EnergyLite microcontrollers now available comprise three product lines featuring ST's advanced 8-bit processor core, which has an advanced architecture delivering high performance and efficiency. The STM8L101 line defines the entry point for the STM8L family, providing up to 8Kbyte of integrated non-volatile Flash memory and offering a choice of 20-pin, 28-pin and 32-pin low-cost, low-footprint packages.

The STM8L151 and STM8L152 lines add extra features including up to 32Kbytes Flash density and up to 2Kbytes SRAM, external crystal/clock capability, enhanced reset features, and support for Direct Memory Access (DMA). Available peripherals include a motor-control timer, analog functions, real-time clock, and high-speed ADC and DAC modules.

In addition, on-chip EEPROM with true Read While Write (RWW) capability saves complex and expensive emulation in Flash. The STM8L152 adds to these features by also integrating an LCD controller.

Family pricing starts with the STM8L101 4-Kbyte Flash version in QFN20 3x3mm low-profile packages at $0.61 in quantities of 10,000. Further pricing options are available for larger quantities.