News & Events
Xicor Announces New Family of Microcontroller Support Chips
--High-Integration Chips Reduce Board Space and Lower System Cost~--Includes Voltage Supervisor, Watchdog Timer, Reset Driver and EEPROM
MILPITAS, Calif., June 16, 1997 - XICOR, Inc. (NASDAQ: XICO) today announced a family of 18 microcontroller support chips. The new devices come with different combinations of popular functions that allow engineers to choose the best fit for their particular microcontroller. The high-integration of the new chips reduces board space and power consumption, lowers system cost and improves reliability.
The choice of functions includes a voltage supervisor, programmable watchdog timer, reset driver and EEPROM. The EEPROM comes in 16, 32 and 64 Kbit densities which can be accessed on a byte (8 bits), word (16 bits), long word (32 bits) or page (32 bytes) basis. The memory can be partitioned into a read/write area and a read only protected area using Block LockTM Protection or In Circuit Programmable ROM mode.
According to Bruce Mattern, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, "This new family of devices is important because it integrates system monitoring functions which must be separated from the microcontroller to provide effective fault detection and recovery with a cost effective external EEPROM. Now all of these functions are integrated into a cost and space effective chip."
"These new microcontroller support chips are part of Xicor's application specific development program which packs important functions into a single chip. Other examples include our security devices and digital potentiometers," concluded Mr. Mattern.
Memory Modes
In addition to the normal read/write mode, sections of memory in the new chips can be set to Block Lock mode. This mode allows certain memory segments to be "write locked" to protect the data from inadvertent writes that could corrupt sensitive data such as billing information (e.g., cellular phones) or serial numbers. The chips also have an In Circuit Programmable ROM mode which allows the design engineer to define certain portions of the memory as read only. This mode can be implemented in the manufacturing process and is important in cases where critical system information such as calibration data needs to be protected.
Other Features
All members of this new family are available in versions that operate from 1.8 to 5 Volts which makes them ideal for battery powered products. The new devices will be important in a wide range of applications including cellular telephones, GPS (global positioning systems), two-way pagers, digital cameras, video games, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), computer peripherals, set top boxes and automotive applications.
These devices are designed to be compatible with most microcontrollers including those from Intel and Motorola. The chips manage their functions and transfer data over an SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) connection at 2 Mbps.
How the Devices Work
When the supply voltage to a support chip is turned on, the device issues a 200 ms reset pulse that starts the attached microcontroller. If at any time after startup the power supply voltage drops below a certain threshold level (eg., 4.5 Volts for a 5 Volt chip), the support chip will issue a reset signal to the microcontroller and hold that signal until the power supply returns to its proper value. This supervisor and control function ensures that a microcontroller doesn't operate when its voltage is out of specification which could result in spurious behavior.
The watchdog timer function in a support chip is programmed via the SPI interface with a time out period of 1,400, 600 or 200 milliseconds. If the support chip does not receive a command from the microcontroller in this period it assumes that the microcontroller has malfunctioned and it issues a reset command to the microcontroller.
Availability and Price
Samples of the 64 Kbit family members with reset level low are available now. The entire family will be available in production quantities in August. The prices for the new devices are listed below for 10,000 piece quantities. The 64 Kbit devices come in the 14-pin SOIC package, and the 32 and 16 Kbit devices come in the 8-pin SOIC package. The keys for the functions listed below are V (Voltage Supervisor), W (Watchdog Timer) and H/L (reset high or low). All the chips include a reset driver.
| Device | Function | Price |
| X25645 | (V, W, H, 64Kbit) | $2.30 |
| X25325 | (V, W, H, 32Kbit) | $1.75 |
| X25165 | (V, W, H, 16Kbit) | $1.15 |
| X25643 | (V, W, L, 64Kbit) | $2.30 |
| X25323 | (V, W, L, 32Kbit) | $1.75 |
| X25163 | (V, W, L, 16Kbit) | $1.15 |
| X25646 | (W, H, 64Kbit) | $2.15 |
| X25326 | (W, H, 32Kbit) | $1.65 |
| X25166 | (W, H, 16Kbit) | $1.10 |
| X25644 | (W, L, 64Kbit) | $2.15 |
| X25324 | (W, L, 32Kbit) | $1.65 |
| X25164 | (W, L, 16Kbit) | $1.10 |
| X25649 | (V, H, 64Kbit) | $2.10 |
| X25329 | (V, H, 32Kbit) | $1.60 |
| X25169 | (V, H, 16Kbit) | $1.05 |
| X25648 | (V, L, 64Kbit) | $2.10 |
| X25328 | (V, L, 32Kbit) | $1.60 |
| X25168 | (V, L, 16Kbit) | $1.05 |
Reader Contact
Gary Craig, Director, Product Marketing, Xicor, Inc., 1511 Buckeye Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035. Telephone: (408) 432-8888, X3549 E-mail: gcraig@smtpgate.com Web site: http://www.xicor.com
Company Background
Xicor develops and manufactures a broad line of in-the-system programmable semiconductor integrated circuits which retain information even when system power is lost or turned off. In-the-system programmability enables telecommunications, consumer, computer, industrial, automotive and military products to be adapted to changing software and operating environments and to be personalized by the user. Many of Xicor's products consume little power and operate well from a battery powered source, making them ideal for hand-held and portable applications.
Xicor products are used by manufacturers of electronic products worldwide, with approximately half of Xicor's sales coming from exports. Xicor products are supported by regional technical sales offices located in the USA, Europe, Japan and South Korea, and by independent sales representatives and electronic component distributors.
Xicor emphasizes the development of differentiated products incorporating its programmable technology which enables customers to rapidly bring to market products with improved features, efficiency and maintainability. To address the large market for undifferentiated EEPROMs, Xicor is also redesigning certain key popular products for cost reduction through smaller chip sizes. Xicor is a leading supplier of EEPROM and Serial Flash' memory products and EEPOT" digitally controlled potentiometers.
Xicor's headquarters and principal manufacturing facilities are located in Milpitas, California. Xicor has received the Underwriters Laboratories Certification of Compliance with the ISO 9001 quality standard and the joint automotive QS 9000 quality standard.
Xicor's product, corporate and financial information is readily accessible on the World Wide Web at http://www.xicor.com.
