Silicon Labs small 8-bit microcontrollers demonstrate high precision simulation performance

     Silicon Labs has announced a new family of microcontrollers (MCUS) offering the highest analog performance and peripheral integration in the 8-bit market. The new EFM8LB1 Laser Bee MCU is the latest addition to the Silicon LabsEFM8 MCU portfolio. It integrates a high-speed analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a multi-digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a high-precision temperature sensor, two comparators, and a 72MHz8051 core that supports up to 64kB of flash memory. The Laser Bee MCU integrates powerful analog performance in a 3mm × 3mm QFN package, making it ideal for space-constrained, performance-intensive applications such as optical modules, test and measurement instruments, industrial control devices, and smart sensors.

     The EFM8LB1 Laser Bee MCU family is ideal for high-speed, analog intensive optical transceiver modules, which are widely used in telecommunications and data communications. Optical module applications require small MCUS that provide superior analog performance and high integration. The highly integrated simulation capabilities of the EFM8LB1 series eliminate the normally required off-chip simulation components, reducing overall system bill of materials (BOM) costs and printed circuit board (PCB) area while enhancing system performance. For example, the Laser Bee MCU integrates up to four 12-bit Dacs, which eliminates the four off-chip DAC devices typically required for optical modules.

     The 14-bit, 900ksps ADC on the Laser Bee MCU chip includes an input sequencer and a direct memory access (DMA) controller to complete raw data collection without MCU involvement. This feature frees the MCU to perform other tasks, improving overall system performance while putting the MCU into a low-power mode to save energy. In addition, with the 72MHz, 8051-based streamlined 8-bit MCU core, more than 70% of instructions can be executed in 1-2 clock cycles, meeting the processing needs of high-speed optical modules and other computation-intensive applications.

     The EFM8LB1 MCU integrates four configurable logic units (CLUs), enabling designers to implement combined logic and/or synchronizers without the use of off-chip devices. As the industry's smallest CLU application, LUs support a variety of digital functions, such as replacing system gluing logic, generating special waveforms, or synchronizing system event triggers. Each CLU is fully programmable, which allows the Laser Bee MCU to be easily connected to other chips in the system. By reducing the number of components and PCB area required for the combined logic, the logic unit will ultimately minimize BOM costs and time to market.

     Many precision simulation applications include sensors or other components that require temperature compensation. For example, the laser driver and other components in an optical module are sensitive to temperature changes, and in order to maintain a constant communication data rate, the optical module must accurately measure the temperature of the module and adjust the laser power accordingly. If the MCU lacks an accurate temperature sensor, the module temperature needs to be calibrated during the manufacturing process, which can incur high costs in terms of manufacturing time and equipment investment. The Laser Bee MCU solves this problem with a built-in, factory-calibrated temperature sensor with ±3°C accuracy, enabling very accurate temperature measurements without any calibration by the customer.

     Daniel Cooley, vice president of iot product Marketing at Silicon Labs, said: "As the leading provider of 8-bit MCUS in the optical module market, Silicon Labs is committed to meeting customers' needs for higher analog performance, smaller size and lower BOM through single-chip integration. Our Laser Bee MCU provides a next-generation 8-bit solution that combines complete hardware and software development tools to support the precision analog performance required by optical module developers."