COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — September 18, 2007 — Ramtron International Corporation (Nasdaq: RMTR), a leading developer and supplier of nonvolatile ferroelectric random access memory (F-RAM) and integrated semiconductor products, today launched the VRS51L3072, an 8051-based microcontroller with 2KB of nonvolatile F-RAM memory.
"We have expanded the Versa 8051 family with the 2KB F-RAM MCU for our customers who require a lower density F-RAM for real-time data collection and storage. The high-performance core in the VRS51L3072 controls peripherals and gathers data, and its onboard digital signal processing (DSP) functions process the data, which is then stored in F-RAM," says David Lee, Ramtron International Strategic Marketing Manager. "Pin-compatible with our 8KB F-RAM MCUs, it’s a cost effective alternative for applications that require less than 8KB of F-RAM."
F-RAM Instead of EEPROM or Data Flash for Nonvolatile Data Storage
F-RAM eliminates the code overhead accompanying Flash data storage, and the limited endurance and drawn out write cycles of Flash/EEPROM. Unlike Flash, F-RAM bytes can be modified without first erasing an entire sector, rendering it easier to use. And unlike Flash/EEPROM, F-RAM provides virtually unlimited read/write cycles and fast data writes.
Features of the VRS51L3072 include:
- A 40 MHz, near single-cycle 8051-core
- DSP extensions (MAC unit with Barrel Shifter)
- 64 KBytes Flash with in-system/in-application programming
- 4K Bytes SRAM
- 2 KBytes F-RAM
- Watchdog Timer
- Two Pulse Width Counter (PWC) modules
- Eight PWMs with 16-bit resolution
- Three 16-bit General Purpose Timers
- 3.3 volts over industrial temperature range
- USB
- JTAG
- 2x UARTs, I²C
- SPI configurable from 1 to 32-bits and performance up to 20MHz
Pricing and Availability
Engineering samples of the VRS51L3072 are available now. The device is packaged in a RoHS-compliant 64-QFN. Unit pricing starts at $4.50 for quantities of 10,000 units.
About Ramtron
Ramtron International Corporation, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops and markets specialized semiconductor memory and integrated semiconductor solutions used in a wide range of product applications and markets worldwide.
