SPARC Processor targets space industry.
Press Release Summary:
Produced on 0.18 µm CMOS process, radiation hardened, 32-bit Model AT697 implements LEON2 FT VHDL model and includes SPARC V8 Integer unit, Floating Point unit, separate instruction and data caches, PCI interface, and memory controller that can interface with SRAM, PROM, and SDRAM. Unit operates with 1.8 and 3.3 V power supplies for core and I/O buffers, respectively. Housed in ceramic hermetic MCGA 349-pin package, processor delivers 86 MIPs and 23 MFlops at 100 MHz.
Original Press Release:
Atmels New Rad-Hard SPARC Processor Improves Speed Versus Power Consumption Ratio by Eight
Ensuring an Upward Compatibility with Existing Applications Built for Previous SPARC Space Processors
NANTES, France, Nov. 7 /-- Atmel(R) Corporation (NASDAQ: ATML), a global leader in the development and fabrication of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced today the availability of the AT697, a new generation of radiation hardened 32-bit SPARC(R) processor (V8) for the space industry. Compared to the former SPARC processors, the AT697 improves the speed versus power consumption ratio by eight, providing the spacecraft computers with an increased calculation capacity in a three-time smaller package. The AT697 is also software compatible with the previous Atmel SPARC processors -- including the SPARC V7 TSC695F -- which are today widely used in flight as the central component of the spacecraft computers. This allows engineers to re-use any software application that has been developed with Atmel's previous SPARC processors, with the benefit of the AT697 higher performance.
The AT697 processor implements the LEON2 FT (fault tolerant) VHDL model owned by ESA, the European Space Agency. It is produced on Atmel's 0.18 um CMOS process in Atmel's France manufacturing site. It includes a SPARC V8 Integer Unit, a Floating Point Unit, separate instruction and data caches, a PCI interface and a flexible memory controller that can interface with SRAM, PROM and SDRAM.
To smooth the engineers' task, the design is fully static and highly testable thanks to a boundary scan through a JTAG interface. And a dedicated Debug Support Unit will ease the software debugging.
The AT697 operates with 1.8-Volt and 3.3-Volt power supplies for the core and the I/O buffers, respectively. It delivers 86 MIPs (Dhrystone 2.1) and 23 MFlops (Whetstone) at 100 MHz. The ratio between performance and power consumption reaches a value as high as 150 MIPs/W, the power consumption being 7 mW/MHz.
To prevent erroneous operations resulting from Single Event Upset and Single Event Transient errors, it implements a set of protection features including Triple Modular Redundancy, error correction and detection (EDAC) or parity checks on internal memories and EDAC on external memories. The first version of this processor has been tested successfully against total dose up to 100 krads and its single event latch-up threshold is higher than 70 MeV/(mg/cm2).
"The new AT697 processor strengthens our leadership as a supplier of radiation hardened ICs for on-board computing system for the space industry," said Nicolas Renaud, Aerospace Microprocessor Marketing Engineer. "It enriches the existing Atmel SPARC processor product line and expands the current success of the TSC695F SPARC processor. Atmel is the only supplier to offer such a broad range of radiation hardened products, which includes microcontrollers, SPARC-based microprocessors, memories (SRAMs, EEPROMs ... ), DSPs, re-programmable FPGAs and ASICs. The AT697 is planned to fly on the Proba 2 ESA project at the very beginning of 2007, showing the market demand and the confidence placed in Atmel products and technologies for space," he concluded.
The AT697 processor is available as a standalone component in a ceramic hermetic MCGA 349-pin package. This package is space qualified and brings a significant advantage in term of size, weight and thermal resistivity compared to the existing quad flat pack solution.
The AT697 samples are available now. The current version of the processor (AT697E) will be delivered tested to military quality flow (QML-Q) for some ESA projects by the end of 2005. At the end of 2006, the AT697 processor flight models will be delivered tested to either QML Q & V or ESCC quality flows. This second version of the AT697 processor will have improved radiation capabilities, up to 300 krads.
Atmel's Compact PCI evaluation board (AT697-EVA) and development kit (AT697-DKIT) allow evaluating and developing software. The evaluation board includes an AT697 processor sample and the BCC and RCC compilation chains. The development kit integrates the GRMON debug monitor. A software simulator called TSIM is also available from the Swedish company Gaisler Research (www.gaisler.com).
This AT697 processor has been developed with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA).
Footnotes
BCC: Bare-C cross compiler
JTAG: Joint Test Action Group
MCGA: Multi-layer solder Column Grid Array
PCI: Peripheral Component Interconnect
RCC: RTEMS(TM) cross compiler
VHDL: Very high speed integrated circuit High level Description Language
About Atmel
Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions. Focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets, Atmel ICs can be found Everywhere You Are(R).
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Information:
Atmel's AT697 product information may be retrieved at http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/product_card.asp?part_id=3178
Philippe Faure, Marketing Communications Manager - Microcontrollers Tel: +33 2 40 18 18 87, Email: philippe.faure@nto.atmel.com
