Atmel Offers Industry's First Secure Single-Chip Programmable SOC

AT94S Family Integrates Configuration EEPROM, 20+ MIPS Processor, FPGA and SRAM and Offers IP Protection

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 11, 2002--Atmel® Corporation (Nasdaq:ATML - news) announced today the immediate availability of its AT94S family of single-chip programmable SoCs, based on its popular FPSLIC(TM) product. The AT94S (FPSLIC SECURE) devices integrate 256KBits to 1MBits of configuration EEPROM, a 20+ MIPS RISC processor, 5,000 to 40,000 FPGA gates, 20 KB to 36 KB of SRAM and a variety of peripherals that includes UARTs, timer/counters, a 2-wire serial interface and a hardware multiplier. Additional peripherals and co-processor functions can be created in the FPGA and mapped directly in the address space of the microcontroller.

The AT94S family is the world's first in-system programmable SoC that does not require an external memory to store the FPGA configuration data and processor program code. By integrating the configuration EEPROM with the FPSLIC programmable SoC in a single 256 pin micro BGA package, Atmel has eliminated the need for any external memory, increased I/O count and reduced the required board space required by up to 70%.

Added Security -- The protection of intellectual property contained in the FPGA as well as the processor code has become a high priority for telecom, networking, industrial and consumer markets in recent years. Programmable system-on-a-chip solutions require non-volatile memory to store the design for both the on-chip FPGA and microcontroller. The external EEPROM typically used to perform this function provides limited security because the configuration data can be reverse engineered if read from the configuration memory. The AT94S family of devices has a patented security feature that protects the FPGA configuration and microcontroller program data from being read from the configuration EEPROM. A security bit on the device can be set during programming to prevent the memory from being read back statically or during internal configuration of the FPSLI device. Once the security bit is set, the only means of externally accessing the FPSLIC configuration EEPROM is to erase it first. This feature provides design security without sacrificing in-system (re) programmability. Atmel establishes a first in offering security and in-system programming in a single package.

Low Power Consumption -- Atmel's single-chip AT94S FPSLIC devices are the lowest power programmable SoCs on the market today. FPSLIC is rated at 0.05 mA maximum in standby mode and 2-3 mA/MHz while active. In addition, FPSLIC's Power-on-reset (POR) peak current is less than 50mA. Other SRAM-based FPGAs and programmable SoCs draw as much as 2 Amps during POR, making them unacceptable for battery operated applications.

The efficient code density and single clock cycle instruction execution of FPSLIC's on-board 8-bit RISC AVR processor offers throughput that exceeds that of the ARM7TDMI in many applications. The patented architecture of the AVR processor in the FPSLIC devices enables higher system throughput with a lower clock rate to further reduce power.

Security has become a priority as the unscrupulous copying of microcontroller and programmable logic code is an increasing problem for system designers," according to Martin Mason, Atmel's Programmable SLi marketing manager. "Significant investment has been made in the intellectual property stored in these devices and the protection of that IP is of paramount concern for emerging telecom, networking, industrial control and consumer applications."

"There is a proliferation of portable products including peripherals for PDAs and mobile phones. These applications include GPS, MP3 players, digital cameras and others. The end-products require substantial processing power, must be as compact as possible, consume very low power and must be tamper resistant to protect the customer IP. The AT94S Secure FPSLIC is the only complete single-chip, programmable system-on-a-chip solution that does not require any external devices," Mason concluded.

Pricing and Availability -- Secure FPSLIC devices are available now in production quantities in the following configurations.

                                                             2-pin
Device     AVR RISC    SRAM   EEPROM   FPGA   UARTs Timer    Serial
           Processor   Bytes  Bits     gates        Counters Interface
AT94S05    20+ MIPS    20 KB  256K    5,000    2      3         1
AT94S10    20+ MIPS    36 KB  512K   10,000    2      3         1
AT94S40    20+ MIPS    36 KB  1M     40,000    2      3         1

    AT94S prices start at $6.50 for AT94S05AL in quantities of 25K.

About Atmel

Founded in 1984, Atmel Corporation is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with manufacturing facilities in North America and Europe. Atmel designs, manufactures and markets worldwide, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and RF semiconductors. Atmel is also a leading provider of system-level integration semiconductor solutions using CMOS, BiCMOS, SiGe, and high-voltage BCDMOS process technologies.

For more information on the AT94S family, go to: http://www.atmel.com/atmel/products/prod39.htm

Requests for literature may be sent via e-mail to literature@atmel.com or by visiting Atmel's website at www.atmel.com.

Note to Editors: Atmel, the Atmel logo and combinations thereof are registered trademarks and others contained herein, are trademarks of Atmel Corporation. Terms and product names in this document may be the trademarks of others.

     Atmel
     Martin Mason, 408/436-4178
     (Programmable Sli Marketing Manager)
     mmason@atmel.com
     Clive Over, 408/451-2855
     (Director of Public Relations-USA and Asia)
     cliveover@atmel.com
     Veronique Sablereau, 33 1 30 60 70 68
     (Corporate Communications Manager-Europe)
     veronique.sablereau@atmel.com