AT24MAC and AT24CS Families of Serial EEPROM products introduced by Atmel

The AT24CS series of devices include unique, factory programmed, read-only serial numbers that can help customers simplify inventory control of mass production lines and enhance product traceability.

The new AT24MAC series devices have globally unique hardware addresses embedded onboard, so designers no longer need to absorb the management costs and time associated with acquiring, using, and managing an allotment of MAC/EUI addresses, defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The AT24MAC602 devices provide designers with unique, pre-programmed, industry-first 64-bit EUI addresses while the AT24MAC402 devices provide 48-bit MAC/EUI addresses. These addresses reside alongside a 2-Kbit Serial EEPROM. The AT24MAC602 device is well suited for use in applications that rely on ZigBeeR/IEEE 802.15.4, FireWireR/IEEE 1394, and IPv6 for network communication. The AT24MAC402 device is ideal for a broad set of applications including those that utilize Ethernet, 802.11x wireless networking, and BluetoothR.

Both the AT24MAC series and the AT24CS series also contain Atmel-generated, unique 128-bit serial numbers. The serial numbers are exclusive regardless of memory density or product family, enabling the value to remain distinctive across the entire portfolio of customer applications. The AT24CS series of devices is initially available in densities of 1-Kbit to 8-Kbit denoted by the AT24CS01, AT24CS02, AT24CS04, and AT24CS08 part numbers.

The market for intelligent Internet-connected devices with processors less than 32-bits is expected to grow by 11 billion units in 2015, said Alan Niebel, founder and chief executive officer, Web-Feet Research. Atmel has been a long-standing, innovative leader in the Serial EEPROM market for over a decade, and the launch of Atmel's new Serial EEPROM families with pre-programmed, embedded unique identifiers help customers enhance security and traceability and allows them to bring their products to market faster. Atmel's launch comes at an ideal time as the world and multitudes of new products, from LCD TVs and tablets to coffee makers and white goods, incorporate networked connectivity, Niebel continued.

The ability to get your products to market faster is more critical than ever in today's globally competitive business environment, said Paul Hill, director of memory products, Atmel Corporation. With every device on a connected network requiring a unique address or identifier, the launch of Atmel's AT24MAC devices lets designers eliminate the need to manage a MAC/EUI database and production management processes required to be compliant with IEEE--reducing the cost of ownership and allowing designers to focus on more critical elements of their application. Since the unique addresses and serial numbers are stored in an extended, separately addressable memory block, both the AT24MAC and AT24CS series of products leave the entire EEPROM memory array available for application use.

Samples of the AT24MAC402, AT24MAC602, AT24CS01, AT24CS02, AT24CS04 and
AT24CS08 are available now in 8-lead SOIC and 8-lead TSSOP packages. Samples in the 5-lead SOT23 and 8-pad UDFN will be available in the fourth quarter of 2012. The Atmel AT24MAC devices in 8-lead SOIC packages are available now in production quantities for US $0.22 to $0.24 in 5000-piece quantities while the AT24CS devices in 8-lead SOIC are available now in production quantities for US$0.20 to $0.25 in 5000-piece quantities depending on density.