Texas Instruments Launches MSPM0C1104: A 1.38 Square Millimeter Cortex-M0+ Microcontroller for Space-Constrained Designs
Texas Instruments has expanded its MSPM0 portfolio with the ultra-compact MSPM0C1104, featuring an Arm Cortex-M0+ core housed in a 1.3776 mm² DSBGA package. Operating up to 24 MHz with 16KB flash and 1KB SRAM, the microcontroller integrates a 12-bit SAR ADC, dedicated DMA, and extensive clocking options for highly dense, low-power applications.
Packaging and Spatial Efficiency
The MSPM0C1104 introduces an ultra-compact form factor designed for high-density layouts, driven by its 8-pin Die Size Ball Grid Array (DSBGA) option. Designated as the YCJ package, this silicon measure matches a 1.6 mm by 0.861 mm physical boundary, yielding a total footprint of 1.3776 mm².
For systems requiring alternative physical configurations, the family offers several package variants:
- 8-pin WSON (DSG) at 4 mm² (2 mm x 2 mm)
- 8-pin SOT-23-THN (DDF) at 8.12 mm² (2.9 mm x 2.8 mm)
- 16-pin SOT-23-THN (DYY) at 8.4 mm² (4.2 mm x 2 mm)
- 20-pin WQFN (RUK) at 9 mm² (3 mm x 3 mm)
- 20-pin VSSOP (DGS) at 24.99 mm² (5.1 mm x 4.9 mm)
- 20-pin TSSOP (PW) at 41.6 mm² (6.5 mm x 6.4 mm)
These configurations support 6, 14, or 18 General-Purpose Input/Outputs (GPIOs), which include two 5V-tolerant open-drain I/Os.
Core Architecture and Clocking
The processing engine is an Arm 32-bit Cortex-M0+ CPU operating at frequencies up to 24 MHz. Memory resources consist of up to 16KB of embedded flash program memory and 1KB of SRAM. Program debugging and security are handled through a 2-pin Serial Wire Debug (SWD) interface that supports secure debug locking.
The internal clock system eliminates the need for an external crystal. The primary system oscillator (SYSOSC) runs at 24 MHz with an accuracy ranging from -2% to +1.2%. A secondary internal 32 kHz low-frequency oscillator (LFOSC) manages low-power timing. Data integrity verification is accelerated via an on-chip hardware Cyclic Redundancy Checker (CRC-16).
Power Consumption and Thermal Operating Envelope
The MSPM0C1104 operates within a wide supply voltage range of 1.62V to 3.6V and is rated for extended temperatures from -40°C to 125°C. The MCU utilizes several optimized power modes to control current draw:
- RUN: 87 µA/MHz active current
- STOP: 609 µA at 4 MHz, dropping to 311 µA at 32 kHz
- STANDBY: 5 µA with full SRAM retention
- SHUTDOWN: 200 nA leakage current
These parameters enable duty-cycled operations in bare-metal application profiles.
Mixed-Signal and Digital Peripherals
The analog front end is centered on a 12-bit Successive Approximation Register (SAR) Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC). The ADC achieves throughputs of 1.5 Msps at 12-bit resolution (using VDD as the reference) or 1.7 Msps at 10-bit resolution. It accommodates up to 10 external channels and utilizes an internal voltage reference (VREF) configurable to 1.4V or 2.5V. An on-chip temperature sensor and a supply monitor are directly integrated into the analog subsystem. To bypass CPU overhead, a dedicated 1-channel Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller is assigned exclusively to the ADC.
Digital and timing peripherals include:
- One 16-bit advanced timer supporting deadband insertion and up to 8 PWM channels
- Two 16-bit general-purpose timers supporting 4 and 2 capture/compare channels
- One windowed watchdog timer
- An integrated BEEPER generator capable of driving 1 kHz, 2 kHz, 4 kHz, or 8 kHz square waves
- One UART interface supporting LIN, IrDA, DALI, Smart Card, and Manchester protocols, featuring STANDBY wakeup capabilities
- One I2C interface supporting Fast Mode Plus (FM+) up to 1 Mbps, SMBus, and PMBus, with wakeup from STOP mode
- One SPI interface supporting throughput up to 12 Mbps