STMicroelectronics Breaks Through 20nm Technology Node to Improve Cost Competitiveness of Next-Generation Microcontrollers

• The first STM32 microcontrollers to use the new technology will begin sampling to select customers in the second half of 2024.

• 18nm FD-SOI manufacturing process combined with embedded phase change memory (ePCM) to achieve a leap in performance and power consumption

March 26, 2024, China - STMicroelectronics (STMicroelectronics), a world-leading semiconductor company serving multiple electronic applications, has released an advanced manufacturing process based on 18nm fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology and integrated with embedded phase change memory (ePCM) to support the upgrade and evolution of next-generation embedded processors . This new process technology was jointly developed by STMicroelectronics and Samsung Foundry, enabling a huge leap in performance and power consumption for embedded processing applications, while integrating larger memory and more analog and digital peripherals. The first product of the next-generation STM32 microcontroller based on the new technology will begin to provide samples to some customers in the second half of 2024, and production will be scheduled in the second half of 2025.

“As an innovator at the forefront of the semiconductor industry, ST has been the first to bring automotive- and space-grade FD-SOI and PCM technologies to our customers,” said Remi El-Ouazzane, President of STMicroelectronics’ Microcontroller, Digital IC, and RF Division. “Our next step is to make the benefits of these two advanced technologies available to developers of industrial applications, starting with the next generation of STM32 microcontrollers.”

Technical advantages

Compared to the currently used ST 40nm embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) technology, the 18nm FD-SOI manufacturing process with integrated ePCM significantly improves key quality factors:

• Performance-to-power ratio increased by more than 50%

• Non-volatile memory (NVM) density is 2.5 times that of existing technologies, allowing for greater on-chip memory integration

• Digital circuit density is three times that of existing technologies, allowing integration of digital peripherals such as artificial intelligence and graphics accelerators, as well as state-of-the-art security protection features

• 3dB improvement in noise figure enhances RF performance of wireless MCUs

The technology operates at a 3V supply voltage and can power analog functions such as power management, reset systems, clock sources, and digital/analog converters. It is the only semiconductor process technology below 20 nanometers that supports this function.

The technology's high temperature operation, radiation hardening and data retention have been proven in the automotive market and meet the stringent reliability requirements of industrial applications.

For more information on FD-SOI and PCM technologies, visit STMicroelectronics’ official website at ST.com.

What benefits can it bring to STM32 microcontroller developers and customers?

This cost-competitive technology will bring developers a new class of high-performance, low-power, wireless MCUs. Large memory capacity supports the growing market demand for edge AI processing, multi-RF protocol stacks, wireless updates, and advanced security features. High processing performance and large memory capacity will encourage developers currently developing products using microprocessors to move to more integrated and cost-effective microcontrollers. This new technology will further improve the energy efficiency of ultra-low-power devices, a market where ST's product portfolio is currently well-positioned.

The first microcontroller based on this technology will integrate ARM's most advanced ARM® Cortex®-M core, bringing stronger computing performance for machine learning and digital signal processing applications. The product will have fast and flexible external memory interfaces, advanced graphics capabilities, and will integrate many analog and digital peripherals, as well as advanced certified security features that have been introduced on STMicroelectronics' latest MCUs.