Atmel Launches a New AVR Microcontroller for Smart Card Reader Applications

Atmel Launches a New AVR Microcontroller for Smart Card Reader Applications

Cartes, Paris, France, November 4, 2008–Atmel® Corporation (Nasdaq: ATML) announced today the introduction of its new AVR® microcontroller designed for smart card reader applications. Based on the AVR 8-/16-bit RISC core allowing single cycle instruction execution, the AT90SCR100 embeds 4 Kbytes of EEPROM for data, 4 Kbytes of SRAM and 64 Kbytes of programmable FLASH providing all the flexibility required for fast software upgrade and customization reducing significantly time to market and development costs both during development phase and product life.

The AT90SCR100 offers a comprehensive set of interfaces such as ISO7816 (Class A,B,C supported), USB full Speed 2.0 device and host, USART and TWI to address any applications that interface to synchronous, asynchronous and USB smart cards. In addition, a SPI serial interface plus a dedicated High Speed SPI interface (up to 20Mbps at 20MHz) have been implemented. Respectively combined with an RF front end and/or with a fingerprint sensor, the AT90SCR100 is ideally suited to contactless and/or Biometric reader applications. With its 38 GPIOs in its high pin count configuration (64 pin package), it can also address all USB Keyboards integrating the smart card reader functionality.

Thanks to its integrated hardware AES 128/256 bits engine that leaves complete availability of the Flash for the end user application, the AT90SCR100 is the first smart card reader microcontroller on the market to offer cryptographic capability. Consequently, communication through secure channels can be performed without calling for any CPU resource during the ciphering operations.

“Migrating to the powerful proprietary AVR architecture will reinforce our market leader position in the smart card reader microcontroller market,” stated Jean-Charles Lesage, Atmel’s Smart Card Reader ICs Marketing Manager. “The AT90SCR100 is the first product of a new family that anticipates the increasing growth of smart card reader technology. With over 7 billion smart cards in the field by the end of 2009 and the promising future of ‘SmartObjects’ such as Notebook, Ultra Mobile Devices in various form factors, needs for many types of readers will become a reality. Thanks to its new AT90SCR family, Atmel is already prepared to face this exciting challenge.”

Development Tools–The AT90SCR100 also takes benefit from the free AVR Studio® and AVR JTAGICE mkII supporting all AVR devices and development tools, including starter kits, evaluation kits and reference designs. A dedicated evaluation kit providing access to all communication interfaces in combination with First Software Layers library will be available in January 2009.

Availability and Pricing

Samples for the AT90SCR100 are available now. Packages are available in 32-pin QFN, 64-pin QFN and 64-pin QFP. Volume production will start in May 2009. Prices start at US$ 3.00 for the 64 pin count version and at US$ 1.90 for the 32 pin package in 10,000 quantities.

About Atmel

Atmel is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry’s broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with complete system solutions focused on consumer, industrial, security, communications, computing and automotive markets.

© 2008 Atmel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Atmel®, Atmel logo and combinations thereof, AVR®, AVR Studio® and others are registered trademarks or trademarks of Atmel Corporation or its subsidiaries. Other terms and product names may be trademarks of others.

Information

For further information on Atmel’s Smart Card Reader ICs, go to: http://www.atmel.com/products/SCR.

Press Contacts

Carine Bourgon, Communications Manager – Atmel Rousset
Tel: (+33) 4 42 53 60 52, Email: carine.bourgon@atmel.com

Helen Perlegos, Public Relations, Tel: (+1) 408 487-2963
Email: hperlegos@atmel.com