World's Smallest Flash Microcontroller Package for Silicon Dust

Ultra-small packaging expands design options for applications in consumer, lighting and industrial control markets
 
By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

Just look at the size of this! Atmel has launched the world's smallest flash AVR microcontroller package, putting 12MIPS of processing for 50c in a mere 4 square millimetres, driving the trend to 'silicon dust' - processors so small they start to sit almost anywhere from connectors to leads to clothing.
The Atmel ATtiny4, ATtiny5, ATtiny9 and ATtiny10 AVR microcontroller (MCU) come in an ultra-small 8-pad UDFN package, with a dimension of only 2mm x 2mm x 0.6mm, and weighing less than 8 mg to reduce the package size as much as 55 percent compared to the market's smallest package offering available today. These products target applications in the consumer electronics, lighting, and industrial control markets. The new devices are well suited for lightweight and small form factor consumer applications, such as cell phones, toys, tooth brushes and other personal care and portable electronic products.
The smaller, lighter, faster and low-power microcontrollers from the Atmel ATtiny4/5/9/10 family also make it possible to integrate a powerful AVR MCU in some of the smallest designs. These designs may include the inside of electrical leads and miniature connectors, printer heads, and other applications such as inside clothing fabrics, plastic cover sheets or shells.
"This new package offering will strengthen Atmel's leadership in the microcontroller market," said Ingar Fredriksen, AVR Product Marketing Director. "In addition to being 55 percent smaller than any other 6-/8-pin Flash microcontroller in the market, the ATtiny4, ATtiny5, ATtiny9 and ATtiny10 devices deliver six times higher processing speed than the closest competitor."
This family is based on Atmel's patented low-power picoPower technology which enables any AVR microcontroller to operate at the industry's lowest power consumption at 650 nA, with a RTC running, and less than 100 nA in power down. These products also contain a rich feature set to execute code up to 12 MIPS at 12 MHz.
The Atmel ATtiny4, ATtiny5, ATtiny9 and ATtiny10 are available now. Volume pricing start at $0.52 USD for 10k quantities.

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