News
Renesas Technology to Release Smartcards with On-Chip USB Controller for USB Tokens Supporting Highly Secur
Renesas Technology Corp. today announced theAE56U, the company's first 32-bit MCU for smartcards with an on-chip USB(Universal Serial Bus) controller. The device is suitable for USBtoken*1applications implementing highly secure digital signaturefunctionality for fields such as online banking. Sample shipments will begin inJune 2008 in Japan.
The AE56U is built around the AE-5 32-bit CPU core, which has an establishedtrack record in MCUs for smartcard applications; incorporates highly reliableon-chip EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory); andimplements the following features to deliver high-level functionality and anexcellent cost-performance ratio.
(1)
Incorporating general-purpose I/O ports for excellent expandability ofperipheral functionality
In addition to high performance, excellent security, and large memorycapacity, the AE56U incorporates general-purpose I/O ports demanded insmartcard MCU with on-chip USB controller . As a result, when a USB tokenincorporating the AE56U is connected to a PC or similar terminal, connectionscan be made easily with peripheral devices within the terminal, such as an LCDcontroller for display data or flash memory.
(2)
12 Mbps of data transfer rate possible by supporting USB 2.0 (FullSpeed)
The AE56U enables to raise the maximum data transfer rate of MCU withon-chip USB controller from 1.5 Mbps (Low-Speed) to 12 Mbps (Full-Speed) bysupporting USB 2.0 (Full Speed.)
(3)
Conforms to the ETSI TS 102 600 V7.0.0, as defined by the EuropeanTelecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)*2
The AE56U conforms to the ETSI TS 102 600 V7.0.0 standard which defines theUSB interface between a Terminal and an Integrated Circuit Card (ICC) that maybe supported by the UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card ) and terminal inaddition to the interface specified in TS 102 221.
Also, this device supports classes A (5V) and class B (3V) in ISO7816 byincorporating a regulator, enabling flexible adaptation to user's system.
< Product Background >
In recent years online banking, consumer services utilizing the Internet,and services offered by Internet providers have grown in popularity, and theseapplications use digital signatures to prevent exploits such as spoofing anddata tampering. Now demand is increasing for digital signatures employingone-time passwords with smartcards, a verification method that is more securethan the static one-time passwords previously employed.
This has brought renewed attention to security verification by means of USBtokens, which had previously been used in commercial applications such aselectronic transactions between companies. Large-scale markets for USB tokensare springing up in certain areas, notably China. In addition to strongsecurity, there is demand for compact and thin form factors as well asgeneral-purpose interfaces that will enable use with ordinary terminaldevices.
A USB token comprises a smartcard MCU and a USB controller. RenesasTechnology has been supplying smartcard MCU products for use in applicationssuch as GSM-SIM*3cards and bank cards for many years and accountsfor a large share of this market. The company also produces a wide range of MCUproducts with on-chip USB controllers. This is the background for thedevelopment of the AE56U, a 32-bit smartcard MCU with on-chip USB controllerthat is the first of its type for the USB token market, combining RenesasTechnology's existing technologies to deliver advanced functionality and anexcellent cost-performance ratio.
< Product Details >
The AE56U combines USB controller and smartcard MCU on a single chip, makingit possible to create USB tokens that are thinner and cheaper while simplifyingmounting. Drawing on the expertise of Renesas Technology in the smartcardfield, it provides the following advantages.
(1)
High performance and excellent security
The AE56U is built around the high-speed, high-performance AE-5 32-bit CPUcore. It integrates a direct memory access controller (DMAC) that supportshigh-speed communication and reduces the CPU load, a coprocessor with DES (DataEncryption Standard) encryption support for high-level security, and acoprocessor for modular exponentiation. The AE56U can handle 2,048-bit RSAencryption processing.
(2)
Large memory capacity
The AE56U employs Renesas Technology's well-established proprietary metaloxide nitride oxide silicon (MONOS) EEPROM to ensure a high degree ofreliability. The circuit design has been tweaked to reduce the size of thememory cells and achieve an excellent cost-performance ratio. The large memorycapacity of 72 Kbytes is sufficient to store multiple applications or largedata sets.In addition, the AE56U has a full 224 Kbytes of on-chip mask ROM that can beused to store a general OS that performs multiple types of processing. Thelarge capacity means that space is available to accommodate future OS upgradeseven if their size is larger. The mask ROM can also be used to storeapplication programs or data that do not need to be overwritten, so maximum usecan be made of the available EEPROM capacity.
The E6000H full-spec emulator is available as a development tool.
The shipment format is wafers, but supply of thin-package versions is alsounder study.
Renesas Technology will continue to develop new smartcard MCU products tomeet trends and demand in the security market. The company plans to extend itsproduct lineup to include contactless type products or products with largermemory capacity .
Notes:
1.
USB token: It is an USB device incorporatingsmartcard MCU. Electronic credentials designed to defeat spoofing of digitalsignatures or data tampering need to be stored in a safer location than on a PCor the like. A USB token is a verification security device for storing datasuch as electronic credentials, secret keys, and verification information. Thestored information is protected by strong encryption, making it nearlyimpossible for it to be decoded if the USB token is lost or stolen and therebyavoiding the risk of data leaks. In particular, MCUs with on-chip USB tokenfunctionality for smartcards can generate secret keys, providing solid securityagainst data leaks.
2.
The European Telecommunications StandardsInstitute (ETSI) produces globally-applicable standards for Information andCommunications Technologies (ICT), including fixed, mobile, radio, converged,broadcast and internet technologies.)
3.
GSM-SIM (Global System for Mobilecommunication-Subscriber Identity Module): GSM is a mobile communication systemused in devices such as mobile phones. A SIM card stores user information, andwhen installed in a GSM phone enables calls to be made based on thecard-owner's information.
* Product names, company names, or brands mentioned are the property oftheir respective owners.
< Typical Applications >
Security verification terminals: USB tokens, e-POS reader/writers, PCs,etc.
Embedded devices: Processing linked to image processing modules requiring aUSB interface for high-speed communication functionality, etc.
Product Name (Product No.)
Shipment Format and MinimumShipment Unit
Sample Price forMinimum Shipment Unit[Tax Included] (Yen/Chip)
AE56U (HWD65256UT)
Single wafer
300
Item
AE56U Specifications
Product name
HWD65256UT
CPU core
32-bit AE-5 core
On-chip EEPROM
72 Kbytes
On-chip mask ROM
224 Kbytes
On-chip RAM
8 Kbytes
Coprocessors
Coprocessor for modular exponentiation
Coprocessor for DES encryption
Peripheral functions
DMAC/UART/interval timer
Security functions
Various abnormality detectors (voltage, frequency, etc.)
Watchdog timer
Random number generator
Interfaces (contact)
ISO/IEC 7816
General I/O ports: 8 I/O ports x 2 sets
USB- ETSI TS 102 600 V7.0.0 compliant- USB 2.0: Full-Speed/Low-Speed- Supports Class A (5V) and Class B (3V) in ISO7816 by incorporating aregulator.
Internal operating frequency
12 MHz (CPU)/24 MHz (Coprocessor for modularexponentiation)
Operating voltage
3.0 V/5.0 V
Shipment format
Wafer
Information contained in this news release is current as of the date of thepress announcement, but may be subject to change without prior notice.
News Source : Renesas Technology to Release AE56U 32-Bit MCU for Smartcards with On-Chip USB Controller for USB Tokens Supporting Highly Secure Digital Signature Functionality