(Source: Business Wire)
Microchip Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MCHP), a leading provider of microcontroller and analog semiconductors, today announced the 5-year anniversary of the industry-leading 8-bit PIC10F microcontrollers (MCUs). The revolutionary PIC10F devices pack the high performance of the PIC® MCU architecture into ultra-small form factor 6-pin SOT-23 and 2 mm x 3 mm DFN packages. In celebration of the anniversary, Microchip also announced that, effective May 1, it has lowered the price of the PIC10F MCUs to start at $0.29 each in 10,000-unit quantities.
After five years in the market, the PIC10F devices continue to open the door to non-traditional uses for MCUs, making it easy and inexpensive for designers with even little or no MCU experience to use them. For extremely space-constrained applications, all PIC10F devices have become available in a 2 mm x 3 mm DFN package since their launch in 2004, enabling a 30% reduction in both PCB footprint and z-height over the 6-pin SOT-23 package; and making them the world's smallest DFN-packaged microcontroller. Additionally, all of the devices now include support for mTouch Capacitive Touch Sensing, enabling designers to easily add capacitive touch-sensing user interfaces or proximity sensing to their designs.
"Microchip has a long history of innovation and intellectual property in ultra-small PIC MCUs, having developed the first MCU in an 8-pin package and the first MCU in a 6 pin SOT-23 package," said Steve Drehobl, vice president of Microchip's Security, Microcontroller and Technology Development Division. "Microchip continues to see tremendous success with the PIC10F family and its worldwide acceptance into new and innovative applications."
The PIC10F family debuted in 2004 with four members (PIC10F200, PIC10F202, PIC10F204 and PIC10F206) and has since seen two product-family additions (PIC10F220 and PIC10F222). Providing more features and performance, the 8-pin PIC12F508, PIC12F509, PIC12F510 and PIC12F519 MCUs are also now available in the 2 mm x 3 mm DFN package and, for designs requiring even more functionality, the fully featured 8-pin PIC12F609 and PIC12F615 MCUs are offered in a 3 mm x 3 mm DFN package. This package provides a PCB footprint similar to that of the 6-pin SOT-23 package, while providing more program memory, RAM, PWM with bridge-drive capability, a 10-bit Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), high-voltage options, additional comparators and up to 3 timers.
These MCUs are well suited for a wide variety of applications, such as disposable devices (e.g. pregnancy testers, glucose meters, dialysis monitors and drug testers); logic control (e.g.
