ICs & Semiconductors Archives - Page 112 of 234

Stella E MCUs power software-defined EVs

Thu, Feb 24, 2022

Automotive microcontrollers (MCUs) optimised for electric vehicles (EVs) and centralised (domain and zonal) electronic architectures have been released by STMicroelectronics. According to ST, they enable EVs to become more affordable, drive further and charge faster.

In current EVs, high-efficiency silicon carbide (SiC) -based power modules enable the greatest driving range and faster charging. Until now, they have required dedicated high-speed signal processors to control the advanced SiC power semiconductors. The Stellar E MCUs launched by ST are designed for the next generation of software-defined EVs, integrate high-speed control-loop processing on-chip. A single MCU can control the entire module, says ST, simplifying module design, saving costs and easing compliance with automotive safety and security standards.

The MCUs extend ST’s Arm-based Stellar family. They are a centralised domain and zone controller which simplify automotive electrical architectures for increased power, flexibility and safety, explained ST.

The MCU family includes the Stellar P series for integration and vehicle control and the Stellar G series for body applications. The Stellar family architecture integrates multiple Arm Cortex cores that deliver high performance with the opportunity for lock-step redundancy and support real-time hardware virtualisation. All Stellar devices are designed for software upgradeability through secure over-the-air (OTA) updates.

The first product in the Stellar E series, the Stellar SR5E1 is optimised for EV on-board chargers (OBC) and general DC/DC converters, is now sampling to lead customers. Full production will begin in 2023.

The Stellar E (Stellar Electrification MCUs) series are automotive-qualified MCUs that perform the high speed, control loop processing alongside general control in the same chip.

The MCUs can control multiple power converters, leveraging features including a high speed ADC, a pulse-width modulation (PWM) controller and fast-acting protection circuitry.

The Stellar E series supports the leading automotive standards for functional safety (ISO 26262 ASIL-D), security (HSM -), and industry standard software interoperability (via Autosar 4.3.x), as well as secure OTA update. The Stellar family is supported with an extensive software-development toolchain with a common ecosystem for control and actuation.

http://www.st.com

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0.5Mpixel depth sensor brings 3D depth imaging to mobile devices

Wed, Feb 23, 2022

The VD55H1 is the first member of a family of high-resolution time-of-flight sensors by STMicroelectronics. According to the company, it brings advanced 3D depth imaging to smartphones and other devices.

The sensor maps three-dimensional surfaces by measuring the distance to over half a million points. Objects can be detected up to 5m from the sensor, and even further with patterned illumination. These parameters mean the VD55H1 addresses emerging AR/VR use cases, including room mapping, gaming and 3D avatars.

In smartphones, the sensor enhances the performance of camera-system features including Bokeh effect, multi-camera selection and video segmentation. Higher resolution also improves face-authentication security, together with more accurate 3D images to protect phone unlocking, mobile payment and any smart system involving secure transactions and access control.

The VD55H1 operates with a modulation frequency of 200MHz with more than 85 per cent demodulation contrast at 940nm. This reduces the depth noise by a factor of two over incumbent sensors that typically operate around 100MHz. In addition, multi-frequency operation, a depth-unwrapping algorithm, low pixel noise floor and high pixel dynamic range ensure superior measurement accuracy over long ranging distance, claimed ST. Depth accuracy is better than one per cent and typical precision is 0.1 per cent of distance.

Other features include a short capture sequence that supports a frame rate up to 120 frames per second and improves motion-blur robustness. Clock and phase management, including spread spectrum clock generator (SSCG), provides multi-device interference mitigation and optimised electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).

The power consumption can be reduced to less than 100mW in some streaming modes, to help prolong the runtime of battery-operated devices, advised ST.

The addition of the VD55H1 3D depth sensor expands the company’s FlightSense products. “The FlightSense portfolio now comprises direct and indirect ToF products from single-point ranging all-in-one sensors to sophisticated high-resolution 3D imagers enabling future generations of intuitive, smart, and autonomous devices,” said Eric Aussedat, ST’s executive vice president, imaging sub-group general manager

VD55H1’s pixel architecture and fabrication process, leveraging in-house 40nm stacked wafer technology, ensures low power consumption, low noise, and optimised die area, confirmed ST. The die contains 75 per cent more pixels than existing VGA sensors, within a smaller die size.

The VD55H1 sensor has a 672 x 804 back-side illuminated (BSI) pixel array for iToF depth sensing. It is now available for lead customers to sample. Volume production maturity is scheduled for the second half of 2022.

A consumer device form factor reference design for the VD55H1 has been created that includes the illumination system. A supporting fully featured software driver and a library containing an advanced depth-reconstruction image-signal-processing pipeline compatible with Android embedded platforms is also provided.

http://www.st.com

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Gen 4 PCIe switches for automotives are first in market, says Microchip

Tue, Feb 22, 2022

Able to deliver low latency and low power for autonomous driving ecosystems, the Switchtec PFX, PSX and PAX Gen 4 PCIe switches are the first in the market, says Microchip. High speed, low latency connectivity for distributed, heterogenous compute systems are a fundamental element in next-generation autonomous driving applications, said the company.

The Switchtec PFX, PSX, and PAX switches provide compute interconnect capabilities for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

“Our automotive-qualified portfolio of Switchtec Gen 4 switches provides the lowest latency and high bandwidth required to link the CPU and accelerator building blocks used in ADAS applications,” said Krishna Mallampati, associate director of marketing and applications for Microchip’s data centre business unit.

Switchtec Gen 4 PCIe switches provide the high speed interconnect that supports distributed, real time, safety critical data processing in ADAS architectures. As is the case for PCIe’s adoption in the data centre market, it is emerging as the preferred compute interconnect for the automotive industry where it provides low latency and low power bandwidth scalability to CPUs and specialised accelerator devices.

The GPU and computing giant, Nvidia is using the switches in its Drive platform. “The qualification of Microchip’s solutions to meet the stringent needs of the automotive market is a significant milestone, and one Nvidia closely collaborated on,” said Michael Truog, senior director of Automotive Platform Architecture at Nvidia. “Microchip’s automotive PCIe switches deliver flexibility and advanced programmability, enabling high speed SoC and GPU connectivity within our Nvidia Drive platform,” he added.

The Switchtec automotive-qualified Gen 4 PCIe switches are available in production. Microchip’s ChipLink diagnostic graphical user interface (GUI) provides debug, diagnostics, configuration and forensics tools for rapid deployment.

Microchip Technology provides smart, connected and secure embedded control solutions. development tools and comprehensive product portfolio enable customers to create optimal designs which reduce risk while lowering total system cost and time to market. The company’s products serve customers across the industrial, automotive, consumer, aerospace and defence, communications and computing markets.

http://www.microchip.com

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Optiga TPM future-proofs security with PQC-protected firmware update

Wed, Feb 16, 2022

Addressing the challenges of quantum computing, namely cybersecurity, specifically on the confidentiality of encrypted data and on the integrity of digital signatures, Infineon Technologies has developed the Optiga TPM (trusted platform module) SLB 9672. It says it is a future-proof security solution with a post-quantum cryptography (PQC) protected firmware update mechanism using XMSS signatures.

The PQC mechanism counteracts the threat of firmware corruption by attackers with access to quantum computers and increases long term survivability of the device by enabling a quantum-resistant firmware upgrade path. The standardised TPM provides a foundation for securely establishing the identity and software status of PCs, servers and connected devices, and for protecting the integrity and confidentiality of data at rest and in transit.

Infineon’s latest member of the Optiga TPM family is also claimed to be the industry’s first TPM to offer a firmware update mechanism with a 256-bits key length, along with an additional check based on PQC. This mechanism allows the Optiga TPM SLB 9672 to still be updated even if the standard algorithms are no longer trusted. The design is engineered for improved computing performance and to counteract the effects of corrupted firmware. For example, built-in, fail-safe features enable TPM firmware recovery in accordance with the NIST SP 800-193 Platform Firmware Resiliency Guidelines.

The TPM also provides an expanded non-volatile memory to store new features such as additional certificates and cryptographic keys. Security evaluation and certification are performed by independent bodies according to the Common Criteria and FIPS requirements. The TPM also fully complies with the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) requirements (TPM 2.0 standard version 1.59) and is certified according to the latest TPM 2.0 standard.

The standardised trust base is accompanied by tools to support design activities (e.g., software and demo boards), this TPM enables easy integration with host software. It also supports the latest versions of Windows and Linux.

The chip has an extended temperature range of -40 to +105 degrees C.

Infineon is committed to the long-term availability of Optiga TPM SLB 9672 for a minimum of 10 years and offers tailored support and maintenance through the Infineon Security Partner Network (ISPN).

The Optiga TPM SLB 9672 is available to order now.

http://www.infineon.com

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Stella E MCUs power software-defined EVs

0.5Mpixel depth sensor brings 3D depth imaging to mobile devices

Gen 4 PCIe switches for automotives are first in market, says Microchip

Optiga TPM future-proofs security with PQC-protected firmware update

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