STMicroelectronics Launches USBType-C™ And Power-Delivery Interfaces, Focused On Architectural Flexibility And Highly Integrated Protection

STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has announced a new solution for USBType-C™ andPower Delivery with an interface IC aimed at clearing the “Rat’s Nest” of cables in the office and living room currently usedto charge and connect computers, smartphones, tablets, TVs, set-top boxes, gamingplatforms, and a broad range of consumer, industrial, andIoT smart devices.

The USB Type-C connector and new standard Power Delivery modifies the USB ecosystem from a data interface capable of supplying limited power to a primary provider of power that includes a well-proven and widely adopted data interface. The connector offers reversible plug orientation and cable direction, delivering data rates up to 10Gbps and power up to 100W, making it ideal for consolidating numerous cables.

Manufactured using ST’s 20V process technology, the STUSB16 interface IC integrates short-circuit, over-voltage, over-current protection, eliminating the need for external circuitry. Additionally, it offers plug power support (VCONN) with up to 600mA programmable current capability and, per the USB Power Delivery specification, it integrates Bi-Phase Mark Coded (BMC) Physical Layer (PHY) coding and decoding logic.

“Knowing well the frustration of being surrounded by numerous different cables withvery limited interoperability, ST, as member of the USB-IF Board of Directorsand an active player on the USB Implementers Forum,is working aggressively to build a strong and flexible portfolio of USB Type-C and power deliverysolutions that include our STM32 microcontroller, ESD protection devices, and power-management products,” said Andrea Onetti, Group Vice President and General Manager Volume MEMS Division, STMicroelectronics. “The new STUSB16 family embeds higher levels of circuit protection and a customer-configurable non-volatile memory, which enables IC configuration at power-up without software support. Overall,the ST portfolio delivers a low BOM cost and flexiblehardware/softwaresolution capable of meeting every power-profile requirement and customization need.”

ST has enabled the migration to the USB Type-C port through the simple addition of an STUSB16 companion chip to existing MCU-based designs, while minimizing MCU-resource requirements compared to alternate solutions. Together these features simplify software development and reduce time-to-market while allowing customers to focus on their own added-value differentiators.

The first member of the STUSB16 family, the STUSB1600QTR, is sampling to lead customers now at $0.95 in 1ku.