Product and News Information

Having entered the fifth year since our formation, Renesas is preparing for the future requirements of global embedded system markets by developing enhanced CPUs for a new generation of 16-bit and 32-bit CISC microcomputers. The aim is to bolster our top-tier competitive position by achieving revolutionary improvements in code-efficiency and power consumption compared to previous-generation devices, plus world-class processing performance (MIPS/MHz). Another steadfast goal is to maintain compatibility with our existing CPUs in terms of instruction sets, peripheral register sets, and development tools, thereby preserving the engineering investments that customers are making in our existing microcomputer product lines.

The CISC CPUs under development will build on the strengths of our M16C and H8S 16-bit CPUs and our R32C and H8SX 32-bit CPUs. The new CPUs will combine the high code efficiency of the M16C and R32C CPUs with the high-speed data processing performance of the H8S and H8SX CPUs. They will also improve the low power consumption and low noise characteristics of the existing architectures, while offering higher levels of cost-performance.

The new CPUs' increased code efficiency will decrease the size of application programs and reduce overall system cost, and their reduced power consumption will provide multiple benefits, depending on the application. Further, the compatibilities with the existing 16-bit and 32-bit CISC CPUs will allow system engineers to shorten product development times.

We plan to release the specifications for the new CPUs in early 2008 and expect to introduce microcomputers with the new CPUs beginning in the second quarter of 2009. These next-generation Renesas devices will have internal flash memory and will be produced using 90nm process technology.

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The SH7775 processor in the SuperH family is tailored for use in high-performance automotive data terminals such as the next generation of in-vehicle navigation units. Featuring the SH-4A CPU, the top-end core in the SuperH family, the SH7775 chip delivers better than 1GIPS performance at its maximum operating frequency of 600MHz. That is one-and-a-half times faster than the existing SH7770 model. The SH7775's internal floating point unit (FPU) also operates at 600MHz and supports both single and double-precision arithmetic. The FPU's maximum performance is 4.2GFLOPS for single-precision operations.

The SH7775 chip includes an improved graphics engine for map drawing, too. Besides having 2D graphics capabilities, the engine offers new 3D drawing functions, such as triangle 3D drawing and texture mapping.

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Renesas' first power supply control IC specifically designed for car navigation systems is the R2S25402FT device. It incorporates separate power supply control circuits for the main car navigation processor and the DRAM memory used for data storage. It also has a voltage supply circuit for the DRAM termination resistance, all in a single chip.

To allow the design of smaller power supply circuits, the IC is supplied in a compact 64-pin QFP package that uses about 20-percent less mounting space than previous Renesas ICs. By integrating the internal linear regulator used to provide the power supply for the DRAM termination resistance, the R2S25402FT IC enables further size reductions ? and cost reductions, too ? by eliminating the need for some step-down coils, smoothing capacitors, and drive FETs.

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The H8SX family product range has been expanded by 60 percent by the addition of twelve more models spread across four groups. The microcomputers in the new H8SX/1658R, H8SX/1668R, H8SX/1558, and H8SX/1568 groups all use the H8SX 32-bit CISC CPU core. Packages are 120-pin or 144-pin LQFPs. The new devices raise the total number of models in the H8SX family to 32 and give system engineers many more choices for system designs.

The four new microcomputer groups are aimed at a wide range of applications, including PCs and other office equipment, digital consumer electronics, and industrial equipment. TheH8SX/1658R and H8SX/1668R groups are upgrades to Renesas' existing H8SX/1653 and H8SX/1663 groups, which feature an integrated USB function. The H8SX/1558 and H8SX/1568 groups support 5V interfaces, a feature in strong demand in industrial equipment and similar applications.

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Renesas has developed a transistor technology for the 45nm generation and beyond that has very high performance, yet can be produced at low cost. The technology is intended for use in microcomputers, SoC devices and similar products.

The p- and n-type CMIS (complementary metal insulator semiconductor) transistors use a hybrid structure that is proprietary to Renesas. The p-type transistor uses a metal gate, whereas the n-type transistor uses a conventional polysilicon gate. Innovations such as a new gate structure and strain technology combine to improve the transistors' performance. Importantly, they can be produced using the current process generation without significant modifications, making mass production a definite possibility.

Prototype transistors with a 40nm gate length produced using this technology achieved performance of 1,068μA/μm for the n-type and 555μA/μm for the p-type with a 1.2V supply voltage. This is an improvement of approximately 20 percent compared to previous Renesas technology.

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A new Renesas fabrication technique can be used to improve the on-chip SRAM used in microcomputers and SoC devices produced with the 32nm generation and subsequent generations of process technology. Based on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) approach, the new technique expands the SRAM's operating margin by individually controlling the body potential of the substrate region of each of the three transistors in the SRAM memory cell.

Tests of a prototype 2Mbit SRAM produced using a 65nm SOI CMOS process showed an increase in the lower operating limit voltage of approximately 100mV compared to SRAMs built without using the new technique. The read and write margins, which are indicators of the SRAM's operating margins, were improved by about 16 percent and 20 percent, respectively. Scatter in the electrical characteristics of the transistors was reduced by approximately 19 percent, as well.

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The RJP4004ANS is a tiny, high-current IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) for strobe control in mobile phone cameras, digital still cameras (DSCs), and elsewhere. It can switch a 200A (ampere) current despite using a VSON-8 (Renesas proprietary dimension code) package that has the smallest external dimensions of any such product. The IGBT's 8-pin very thin, small outline package measures only 3.0mm x 4.8mm x 0.95mm (max.).

The rated current of the RJP4004ANS is 33 percent greater than the 150A of the previous RJP4002ANS IGBT, enabling higher-intensity illumination that can improve picture quality in various situations. Both of the strobe control devices are environmentally friendly, being completely lead-free, including the internal solder, yet they provide a high level of reliability.

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