F-RAM Processor/TCXO Double-Team Volume Apps

EMBEDDED SYSTEMS CONFERENCE, MAY 2011 – With an eye on high-volume consumer markets, the Processor Companion chip (FM31T378) integrates a real-time clock (RTC) with a temperature compensation crystal oscillator (TCXO), 256-Kb of nonvolatile ferroelectric random access memory (F-RAM), and a suite of peripheral functions. The FM31T378 also features a processor supervisor that supports virtually any microcontroller- or microprocessor-based design. The supervisory function detects power supply faults and initiates a reset to escape software lockup conditions. An integrated temperature sensor internally calibrates the crystal temperature characteristics with an accuracy to ±2.6 min/yr (±5ppm) over a temperature range from -40°C to +85°C. Peripherals include two battery-backed event counters with a tamper interrupt output, 32.768-kHz clock output, lockable 64-bit serial number, and a general-purpose comparator. Available in a 14-pin SOIC package, price for the FM31T378 starts at $3.89 each/25,000. RAMTRON INTERNATIONAL CORP., Colorado Springs, CO. (800) 545-3726.