The Kynix Blog - General electronic semiconductor

（Researchers have developed an algorithm that allows residential customers to share power from the renewable energy sources in their homes during an outage.） If you think you can use the solar panels on your roof to power your home during an outage, think again. During an outage, while your home remains connected to the grid, the devices that manage your solar panels are powered down for safety reasons. In other words, this permanent connection to the grid makes it impossible for homeowners to draw on power generated by their own renewable energy resources. A team of engineers at the University of California San Diego wants to change this. They have developed algorithms that would allow homes to use and share power from their renewable energy sources during outages by strategically disconnecting these devices, called solar inverters, from the grid. The algorithms work with existing technology and would improve systems' reliability by 25 to 35 percent. Researchers detail the algorithms and their applications in a paper they presented at the American Control Conference in Seattle, Wash. "We were inspired to start investigating a way to use renewable power during outages after Hurricane Sandy affected eight million people on the East Coast and left some without power for up to two weeks," said Abdulelah H. Habib, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering at UC San Diego and the paper's first author. Our Society is Dependent upon ElectricityJust a few hours without power can cause massive losses to both product and revenue.We rely on electricity much more than we realize. Even if you live "off the grid," as I did for years, you are still living in a world and a society that is deeply dependent upon electricity. If the power is out for a few hours, we have all experienced that; of course you'll be fine. Maybe you will be a little bored and inconvenienced, but if the outage is lengthy and widespread, the consequences can be much more severe, even deadly. What would happen if the electricity was out for a week?Every year, 7 million customers experience power outages. Outages that last more than 5 to 10 minutes cost customers more than $80 billion each year. How the Algorithm WorksThe innovation here is the algorithm's capability to prioritize distribution of power from renewable resources during an outage. The equations take into account forecasts for solar and wind power generation as well as how much energy storage is available, including electric vehicles, batteries and so on. The algorithm combines that information with the amount of energy that the residents are projected to use as well as the amount of energy that a cluster of homes can generate.The algorithm could also be programmed to include a priority function, based on different parameters. For example, customers who are willing to pay more could get priority to get power during an outage. Or customers who generate more energy than they produce during normal operations would not lose power during an outage. More importantly, the algorithm could give priority to customers who are in urgent need of power, because they use life support equipment, for example. Ref.KY605-LC-R064R5PKY605-0860-0004

（Metal-semiconductor-metal junction (tunnel barrier) incorporated into a single graphene nanoribbon: The atomic and electronic structure of the nanoribbons can be probed with atomic resolution using advanced microscopic techniques.）   Essential electronic components, such as diodes and tunnel barriers, can be incorporated in single graphene wires (nanoribbons) with atomic precision. The goal is to create graphene-based electronic devices with extremely fast operational speeds. The discovery was made in a collaboration between Aalto University and their colleagues at Utrecht University and TU Delft in the Netherlands. The work is published in Nature Communications. The 'wonder material' graphene has many interesting characteristics, and researchers around the world are looking for new ways to utilise them. Graphene itself does not have the characteristics needed to switch electrical currents on and off and smart solutions must be found for this particular problem. "We can make graphene structures with atomic precision. By selecting certain precursor substances (molecules), we can code the structure of the electrical circuit with extreme accuracy," explains Peter Liljeroth from Aalto University, who conceived the research project together with Ingmar Swart from Utrecht University. Seamless integration The electronic properties of graphene can be controlled by synthesizing it into very narrow strips (graphene nanoribbons). Previous research has shown that the ribbon's electronic characteristics are dependent on its atomic width. A ribbon that is five atoms wide behaves similarly to a metallic wire with extremely good conduction characteristics, but adding two atoms makes the ribbon a semiconductor. "We are now able to seamlessly integrate five atom-wide ribbons with seven atom-wide ribbons. That gives you a metal-semiconductor junction, which is a basic building block of electronic components," according to Ingmar Swart. Chemistry on a surface The researchers produced their electronic graphene structures through a chemical reaction. They evaporated the precursor molecules onto a gold crystal, where they react in a very controlled way to yield new chemical compounds. "This is a different method from that currently used to produce electrical nanostructures, such as those on computer chips. For graphene, it is so important that the structure is precise at the atomic level and it is likely that the chemical route is the only effective method," Ingmar Swart concludes. Electronic characteristics The researchers used advanced microscopic techniques to also determine the electronic and transport characteristics of the resulting structures. It was possible to measure electrical current through a graphene nanoribbon device with an exactly known atomic structure. "This is the first time where we can create e.g. a tunnel barrier and really know its exact atomic structure. Simultaneous measurement of electrical current through the device allows us to compare theory and experiment on a very quantitative level," says Peter Liljeroth.  Source:Aalto University Ref.MN3306STTH2002G-TR 

In recent years Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a technology that global companies are desperately trying to take advantage of, as it is one of the most emerging and competitive technologies. However, a lot of AI technologies focus on the software, with operating speeds low which makes them a poor fit for mobile devices. For this reason big companies are focusing on developing AI with low power and high speeds, hoping to make AI fit for mobile use.   Professor Hoi-Jun Yoo of the Department of Electrical Engineering, along with his research team and collaboration with start-up company, UX Factory Co, has developed a semiconductor chip, CNNP (CNN Processor), which runs AI algorithms with ultra-low power, and K-Eye, a face recognition system using CNNP. Consisting of two different formats, the K-Eye series is available as a wearable type and a dongle type. The wearable type device can be used with a smartphone via Bluetooth, and it can operate for more than 24 hours with its internal battery. By conveniently hanging the K-Eye around their necks users can check information about people by using their smartphone or smart watch, which connects K-Eye and allows users to access a database via their smart devices. A smartphone with K-EyeQ, the dongle type device, can recognise and share information about users at any time.  It works by recognising an authorised user looking at the screen, which then automatically turns the smartphone on, without a fingerprint, passcode or iris authentication. The smartphone cannot be tricked by the user’s photograph, as it can distinguish whether an input face is coming from a saved photograph versus a real person. Other distinct features are carried out by the K-Eye series. Detecting a face at first and then recognising it is one, and it is possible to maintain ‘Always-on’ status with low power consumption of less than 1mW. The research team devised two key technologies to complete this: an image sensor with ‘Always-on’ face detection and the CNNP face recognition chip.  The ‘Always-on’ image sensor, the first key technology, is able to determine if there is a face in its camera range. Then, it can capture frames and set the device to operate only when a face exists, reducing the standby power significantly. Additionally the face detection sensor combines analogue and digital processing to reduce power consumption. Using this approach, the analogue processor, combined with the CMOS Image Sensor array, distinguishes the background area from the area likely to include a face, and the digital processor then detects the face only in the selected area. Therefore, it becomes effective in terms of frame capture, face detection processing, and memory usage.    Following this the second key technology, CNNP, is able to achieve incredibly low power consumption, by optimising a convolutional neural network (CNN) in the areas of circuitry, architecture, and algorithms. Specially designed to enable data to be read in a vertical direction as well as in a horizontal direction, the on-chip memory integrated in CNNP also has immense computational power with 1024 multipliers and accumulators operating in parallel and is capable of directly transferring the temporal results to each other without accessing to the external memory or on-chip communication network. Additionally, convolution calculations with a two-dimensional filter in the CNN algorithm are approximated into two sequential calculations of one-dimensional filters to achieve higher speeds and lower power consumption.  CNNP achieved 97% high accuracy but consumed only 1/5000 power of the GPU thanks to these new technologies. Face recognition can be performed with only 0.62mW of power consumption, and the chip can show higher performance than the GPU by using more power.  Developed by Kyeongryeol Bong, a PhD student under Professor Yoo, these chips were presented at the International Solid-State Circuit Conference (ISSCC) held in San Francisco earlier this year. CNNP, which has the lowest reported power consumption in the world, has achieved a huge amount of attention, which has led to the development of the present K-Eye series for face recognition.  Professor Yoo commented: “AI - processors will lead the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. With the development of this AI chip, we expect Korea to take the lead in global AI technology.”  Ref.MT9V022 OV05633

The CC2640R2F SimpleLink ultra-low-power wireless microcontroller from Texas Instruments (TI) is in stock at Mouser Electronics. Part of TI’s CC26xx SimpleLink family of 2.4GHz devices, the CC2640R2F microcontroller features a small, single-chip system that integrates a flash-based microcontroller and Bluetooth Smart radio to target Bluetooth 4.2 and Bluetooth 5 low-energy applications. The microcontroller combines a 61μA/MHz ARM Cortex-M3 microcontroller and a rich peripheral set that includes an 8.2μA/MHz sensor controller. The 48MHz ARM microcontroller offers 128 kBytes of flash and 28 kBytes of SRAM and supports over-the-air (OTA) updates. The sensor controller is ideal for interfacing external sensors and for collecting analog and digital data autonomously while the rest of the system is in sleep mode. The device includes a 12-bit analogue-to-digital converter, up to 31 general-purpose inputs and outputs (GPIOs), and built-in robust security on chip with one of the simplest radio frequency (RF) and antenna designs available. Minimal RF expertise is required to implement the device, which helps make development and layout extremely easy. The wireless microcontroller is available in 2.7×2.7 mm WCSP and 4×4, 5×5 and 7×7 mm QFN packages, and is designed for a board array of wireless Internet of Things (IoT) applications, including health and fitness, industrial, and home and building automation. With ready-to-use protocol stacks (including the SIMPLELINK-CC2640R2-SDK software development kit for Bluetooth 5), the SimpleLink portfolio of wireless connectivity solutions not only offers designers maximum flexibility and support but also delivers multi-standard capabilities with code- and pin-compatibility across Bluetooth Smart, 6LoWPAN, ZigBee and ZigBee RF4CE.   Ref: KY32-MB91F376GPMCR-GS KY32-MB90F548GSPFV-G KY32-HD6417604SVF20

Two microcontroller lines from STMicroelectronics increase energy efficiency, flexibility, and feature integration at the high end of the STM32F4 Access Line for high-performance embedded designs. Qualified up to 125°C, these STM32 devices target always-on sensor acquisition and general-purpose industrial applications and present a robust and cost-effective upgrade from STM32F1 MCUs. The STM32F413 and crypto-enhanced STM32F423 integrate up to 1.5MB Flash and dense SRAM of 320KB. These are the most highly featured of the STM32F4 Access Lines, with rich audio capabilities including a Serial Audio Interface (SAI) and an enhanced voice-acquisition interface with multi-channel Digital Filter for Sigma-Delta Modulators (DFSDM) that enables low-power sound localisation and beam forming. The devices also provide peripheral integration, with two 12-bit Digital-Analogue Converters (DACs), up to 10 UARTs, and three CAN 2.0B active interfaces. The crypto-enhanced STM32F423 also has a True Random-Number Generator (TRNG) and AES-256 cryptographic hardware accelerator.Sitting at the top of the STM32F4 Access Lines, the MCUs introduce a 100MHz dual-mode Quad SPI for connecting serial off-chip memory, 16-bit Flexible Memory Controller (FMC) for external SRAM, PSRAM or NOR Flash, up to 16-bit QVGA or 8-bit WQVGA LCD interface, and USB OTG with Link Power Management (LPM) and dual power rails that save external level shifting.In addition, both lines feature a RAM-access scheme that uses the Instruction and Data (I/D) buses and the System BUS (SBUS) to connect to separate RAM1 (256KB) and RAM2 (64KB) areas thereby minimising contentions. An enhanced DMA Batch Acquisition Mode (BAM+) takes advantage of these separate RAM1 and RAM2 areas to process code and data extremely efficiently in sensor-hub applications.Delivering high performance, the STM32 microcontrollers combine the 100MHz 125DMIPS/339 EEMBC CoreMark ARM Cortex-M4 core with ST’s power-saving Dynamic Efficiency technologies that cut RUN mode current up to 112µA/MHz. These Dynamic Efficiency technologies include the ST ART Accelerator for zero-wait execution from Flash, and the supply-voltage extending down to 1.7V, to maximise the battery life of always-connected devices.Designers can immediately start their projects using the NUCLEO-F413ZH development board. This STM32 Nucleo-144 board comes with the ST-LINK/V2-1 debugger/programmer, software libraries and examples, and can be used directly with ARM mbed online resources. Ref:KY32-STM32F401CBU6KY32-STM32F401CCU6KY362-STM32F401C-DISCO

This article introduces 5 excellent microcontrollers that you might not be familiar with, offering alternatives to mainstream development boards.I Brief IntroductionEven if you are a casual microcontroller enthusiast, you've probably heard of the biggest names in the business: Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and ESP32. However, there are less renowned but still high-quality microcontrollers that you may have missed but should get to know.II Five Microcontrollers You Should Know About2.1 MSP430 LaunchPadLaunchPad is a low-cost, ultra-low-power microcontroller development platform from Texas Instruments. As of 2025, the MSP430 LaunchPad ecosystem has expanded significantly, with prices ranging from $10-30 depending on the model. The latest MSP430FR series features FRAM (Ferroelectric RAM) technology, offering non-volatile memory with extremely low power consumption.The MSP430 excels in battery-powered applications, with some models consuming less than 100nA in standby mode and waking up in less than 5 microseconds. Modern variants offer up to 256KB of FRAM and 8KB of SRAM. The platform is supported by Texas Instruments' Code Composer Studio IDE and is compatible with Energia, an Arduino-like programming environment, making it accessible for beginners while powerful enough for professional applications in IoT sensors, wearables, and medical devices.2.2 Nanode (Legacy Platform)Note: The Nanode project has been discontinued and is no longer actively maintained. While it was an innovative Arduino-compatible board with built-in Ethernet connectivity designed for Internet of Things applications, modern alternatives have superseded it.Modern Alternatives: For IoT projects in 2025, consider the ESP32 (with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, $5-15), Arduino MKR WiFi 1010 ($30-35), or Raspberry Pi Pico W ($6) which offer better performance, active community support, and modern connectivity options.2.3 Pinguino (Limited Availability)Pinguino was an open-source microcontroller platform based on Microchip PIC microcontrollers, designed as an alternative to Arduino. However, the project has seen reduced activity in recent years, with limited board availability and community support.Current Status: While some Pinguino boards may still be available through specialty retailers, the ecosystem has largely stagnated. For PIC-based development in 2025, consider Microchip's official Curiosity development boards ($25-50) which offer better support, documentation, and integration with MPLAB X IDE.2.4 STM32 Discovery & NucleoSTMicroelectronics' STM32 ecosystem has grown tremendously and is now one of the most popular professional microcontroller platforms. As of 2025, the STM32 family includes hundreds of variants, from the ultra-low-power STM32L series to the high-performance STM32H7 series running at up to 550 MHz.Discovery boards ($15-50) feature specific peripherals for evaluation, while Nucleo boards ($10-25) offer Arduino-compatible headers. Modern STM32 boards feature 32-bit ARM Cortex-M cores (M0+ to M7), with RAM ranging from 20KB to over 1MB, and flash memory up to 2MB. The platform is supported by STM32CubeIDE (free), and has excellent Arduino compatibility through the STM32duino project, making it accessible to hobbyists while meeting professional requirements for automotive, industrial, and consumer electronics.2.5 Teensy 4.1The Teensy platform has evolved significantly since 2017. The current flagship Teensy 4.1 ($31.50) is a powerhouse featuring an ARM Cortex-M7 processor running at 600 MHz, 1MB RAM, 8MB flash, and optional microSD card slot. It's one of the fastest Arduino-compatible microcontrollers available.Teensy boards maintain their compact form factor while offering exceptional performance for audio processing, real-time data acquisition, and complex control systems. The Teensy 4.0 ($23.80) offers similar performance in an even smaller package. Full Arduino IDE compatibility, extensive library support, and the powerful Teensyduino add-on make these boards excellent for advanced projects requiring high processing power in a small footprint. Popular applications include synthesizers, high-speed data loggers, LED matrix controllers, and robotics.FAQ1. What is a microcontroller used for?Microcontrollers are embedded computers used to control electronic devices. In offices, they're found in keyboards, monitors, printers, and phone systems. At home, they control appliances like microwaves, washing machines, thermostats, smart home devices, and entertainment systems. In 2025, microcontrollers are essential in IoT devices, wearables, electric vehicles, drones, and medical equipment.2. What is a microcontroller and what does it do?A microcontroller is an integrated circuit (IC) containing a processor core, memory (RAM and ROM/Flash), and programmable input/output peripherals. It's designed to execute specific control tasks in embedded systems, reading sensors, making decisions, and controlling actuators or displays.3. What is the difference between microprocessor and microcontroller?A microprocessor (like those in PCs) contains only a CPU and requires external components for memory and I/O. A microcontroller integrates CPU, memory, and I/O peripherals on a single chip. Microprocessors are designed for general-purpose computing with maximum performance, while microcontrollers are optimized for specific control tasks with lower power consumption and cost.4. What are the advantages of microcontrollers?Key advantages include: low cost ($0.50-$50), low power consumption (microamps to milliamps), small size, integrated peripherals, reliability, reprogrammability, and real-time control capabilities. Modern microcontrollers also offer built-in security features, wireless connectivity, and advanced power management.5. What is Arduino?Arduino is an open-source electronics platform consisting of programmable circuit boards (containing microcontrollers) and development software (Arduino IDE). It simplifies microcontroller programming with an easy-to-learn language and extensive library support, making it popular for education, prototyping, and hobbyist projects.6. Which is faster: microcontroller or microprocessor?Microprocessors are generally faster, with modern CPUs running at 2-5+ GHz. Microcontrollers typically run at 8 MHz to 600 MHz (as of 2025). However, microcontrollers offer better real-time response and deterministic behavior for control applications, and their integrated peripherals eliminate external bus delays.7. Which is better: microcontroller or microprocessor?Neither is universally "better"—they serve different purposes. Choose microprocessors for complex computing tasks requiring high performance and large memory (computers, servers). Choose microcontrollers for dedicated control tasks requiring low power, small size, and real-time operation (embedded systems, IoT devices).8. How does a microcontroller work?A microcontroller executes programmed instructions stored in its memory. It continuously reads inputs from sensors or user interfaces, processes this data according to its program, and sends output signals to control devices like motors, LEDs, or displays. This happens in a loop, often thousands of times per second.9. What are the characteristics of a microcontroller?Key characteristics include: integrated CPU (8-bit to 32-bit), volatile RAM (1KB-1MB+), non-volatile program memory (Flash/EEPROM, 4KB-2MB+), digital I/O pins, analog-to-digital converters (ADC), timers/counters, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C, USB), and often specialized peripherals like PWM, comparators, or wireless transceivers.10. What are the disadvantages of microcontrollers?Limitations include: limited processing power compared to microprocessors, fixed memory capacity, complexity for beginners, limited high-power device interfacing (requires external drivers), and platform-specific programming. However, modern development tools and extensive communities have significantly reduced these barriers.11. Why choose Arduino over bare microcontrollers?Arduino provides a complete ecosystem: pre-tested hardware, simplified programming environment, extensive libraries, and a massive community. This dramatically reduces development time and learning curve compared to programming microcontrollers directly. It's ideal for prototyping, education, and projects where development speed matters more than per-unit cost.12. What is the difference between Arduino and a microcontroller?A microcontroller is the chip itself. Arduino is a complete development platform that includes a microcontroller, supporting circuitry (voltage regulation, USB interface), standardized connectors, and software tools. Arduino makes microcontrollers accessible by handling low-level complexities.13. Are microcontrollers expensive?No, microcontrollers are very affordable. Basic chips cost $0.50-$5 in volume, while development boards range from $5-50. The integrated design reduces external component costs. Even high-performance 32-bit microcontrollers are typically under $10 in single quantities.14. Why are microcontrollers used in embedded systems?Microcontrollers are ideal for embedded systems because they integrate all necessary components (CPU, memory, I/O) in a single, compact, low-power, cost-effective package. They provide deterministic real-time performance essential for control applications and can operate reliably in harsh environments.15. Why is it called a microcontroller?"Micro" refers to the microscopic transistors (measured in nanometers in modern chips) and the small physical size. "Controller" indicates its primary purpose: controlling other devices and systems. The term distinguishes it from general-purpose microprocessors by emphasizing its control-oriented design.Article Updated: November 2025Original Publication: 2017