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    Design Guidelines For Microcontrollers Incorporating NV RAM: Application Note 93

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    Design Guidelines For Microcontrollers Incorporating NV RAM: Application Note 93

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    raveendra
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    IC DATA SHEET

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    AN93

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    IC DATA SHEET

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    10 views3 pages

    Design Guidelines For Microcontrollers Incorporating NV RAM: Application Note 93

    Uploaded by

    raveendra
    IC DATA SHEET

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    Maxim > App Notes > MICROCONTROLLERS

    Keywords: secure microcontroller, nonvolatile SRAM, NVSRAM, high-speed microcontroller, microcontrollers, May 01, 2001
    DS5000, DS5000T, DS5000FP, DS5001FP, DS5002FP, DS2250, DS2250T, DS2251T, DS2252T, DS5240,
    DS5250, DS87C530

    APPLICATION NOTE 93
    Design Guidelines for Microcontrollers Incorporating NV RAM

    Abstract: This application note will help the user of the Dallas Semiconductor secure microcontroller and high-
    speed microcontroller improve reliability when implementing nonvolatile SRAM. This note is applicable to the
    Secure and High-Speed Secure Microcontroller families as well as the DS87C530 high-speed microcontroller.
    Out-of-tolerance voltage spikes, protecting I/O pins and negative power supply transients are discussed in this
    application note.

    Overview

    Microcontrollers which incorporate battery-backed, nonvolatile SRAM (NV RAM) have found wide acceptance in
    the embedded marketplace. Unlike Flash memory or EEPROM technology, nonvolatile SRAM has no write
    limitations, which makes it ideal for real-time data logging applications. In products such as the Dallas
    Semiconductor Secure Microcontroller family, NV RAM can be used to provide insystem reprogrammable program
    memory.

    This application note discusses design guidelines for microcontroller products which incorporate NV RAM. A
    number of design suggestions are presented to improve the reliability of microcontrollers which incorporate NV
    RAM. It should be stressed that battery-backed memory is as reliable as nonvolatile memory as long as standard
    CMOS design guidelines are used. This application note is applicable to the Secure and High-Speed Secure
    Microcontroller family of products as well as the DS87C530 High-Speed Microcontroller.

    Out-of-Tolerance Voltage Spikes

    The real world is a harsh place; electrostatic discharge (ESD), electrical noise, etc. can enter into a system. Many
    of these phenomena can induce negative voltages on one or more device pins. CMOS design guidelines require
    that no pin be taken above VCC or below VSS. Violation of this guideline can result in a hard failure (damage to
    the silicon inside the device) or a soft failure (unintentional modification of memory contents).

    Negative voltage spikes are a particular problem for CMOS devices. When a negative voltage spike is
    experienced, one or more parasitic diodes inside the device can become forward-biased. This will cause the
    device to consume a large amount of current, and can cause the device to latch-up. In general, the only way to
    reverse CMOS latch-up is to remove power from the device. If the supply to the device is not limited, the
    excessive current draw can cause irreparable damage to the device.

    Less severe, but just as troublesome, is the effect this can have on nonvolatile memory. When a parasitic diode
    forms, a high-current path will form. This will drain current away from the device, and may cause the voltage to
    sag internally. If the internal voltage drops below the minimum needed to maintain the memory, soft errors may
    be experienced.

    In a practical application, it is often difficult or impossible to remove all voltages above VCC or below VSS.
    Realistically, overshoots or undershoots of 0.3V can be tolerated by most devices. The following cases discuss
    common causes of such conditions and ways to minimize their effect on systems.
    Protecting I/O Pins

    The most common way that a device experiences negative voltage spikes is through its general-purpose I/O
    pins. These are usually the only contact that the microcontroller has with the "outside world." Devices such as
    electrical motors and keypads can generate large amounts of electrical noise. The shock that one experiences
    when touching a doorknob, for example, can be as much as 30kV. If this voltage is transmitted from a keypad
    into a microcontroller system, it can seriously damage electronic components.

    Figure 1 demonstrates a diode protection scheme that can be used to protect the I/O pins of a microcontroller.
    The scheme relies on the use of a Schottky diode and current limiting resistor to reduce the effect of current
    spikes on the device. When the voltage approaching the device pin exceeds VCC or VSS by more than 0.1V -
    0.2V, the Schottky diodes will become forward biased, conducting the excess voltage away from the device pins.
    The current limiting resistors will also help dampen the effect of the voltage spike on the microcontroller.

    Figure 1. External I/O protection scheme.

    The protection diodes shown in Figure 1 must be chosen carefully. Most Schottky diodes, such as the popular
    1N5817, are suitable at room temperature. At high temperatures, however, their reverse bias leakage will begin
    to load the I/O line, making it difficult for the device to drive a logic 1. For example, a DS87C520 can drive a
    logic 1 with a maximum current of 50µA. At room temperature, the reverse leakage of a typical 1N5817 is 30µA.
    At 70°C, however, the reverse leakage is greater than 100µA. The microcontroller will be unable to source
    enough current to maintain a CMOS logic high of 2.4V.

    Any Schottky diode used should have a leakage well below the maximum drive current of the sourcing device.
    Diodes with low reverse leakage currents are available from many vendors.

    Negative Power Supply Transients

    Another source of voltage spikes is the power supply. Many simple voltage regulators, such as a 7805 5V
    regulator, are notorious for generating voltage spikes as they power up. Care must be exercised when designing
    the power supply so that it does not generate excessive noise when powering up or when switching loads in and
    out of the system.

    The problem of power supply transients can be lessened by using a reverse-biased Schottky diode across VCC
    and GND, similar to that used for protecting I/O pins. Figure 2 shows one such scheme.

    Figure 2. Voltage regulator protection scheme.

    Application Note 93: http://www.maxim-ic.com/an93

    More Information
    For technical questions and support: http://www.maxim-ic.com/support
    For samples: http://www.maxim-ic.com/samples
    Other questions and comments: http://www.maxim-ic.com/contact

    Related Parts
    DS2250: QuickView -- Full (PDF) Data Sheet

    DS2250T: QuickView -- Full (PDF) Data Sheet

    DS2251T: QuickView -- Full (PDF) Data Sheet

    DS2252T: QuickView -- Full (PDF) Data Sheet

    DS5000FP: QuickView -- Full (PDF) Data Sheet -- Free Samples


    DS5000T: QuickView -- Full (PDF) Data Sheet

    DS5001FP: QuickView -- Full (PDF) Data Sheet -- Free Samples


    DS5002FP: QuickView -- Full (PDF) Data Sheet
    DS5240: QuickView -- Full (PDF) Data Sheet

    DS5250: QuickView -- Full (PDF) Data Sheet

    DS87C530: QuickView -- Full (PDF) Data Sheet -- Free Samples

    AN93, AN 93, APP93, Appnote93, Appnote 93


    Copyright © by Maxim Integrated Products
    Additional legal notices: http://www.maxim-ic.com/legal

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