As security threats evolve and become more sophisticated, designers of industrial and consumer applications need to consider implementing security functionality in their devices during the development process. Microchip Technology has introduced a new family of 32-bit PIC32CZ CA microcontrollers featuring a 300-MHz Arm Cortex-M7 processor, an integrated hardware security module (HSM) and a range of connectivity and flash memory options for enhanced flexibility.
David Arnold, senior product marketing manager of Microchip Technology’s MCU32 business unit, told EE Times Europe that the role of the separate MCU in the HSM is to handle the device’s security functionality and prevent any sensitive and confidential information from being exposed to the main processor. Dpak To-220 Mosfet
“It works with the main processor via a mailbox system [i.e., the main processor communicates to encrypt some data as an example, and then the HSM goes off and performs this function using a private key],” Arnold said. “Having the MCU in the HSM provides a firewalled security subsystem that is dedicated to the security functionality.”
Microchip said its PIC32CZ CA MCU family consists of the PIC32CZ CA90 with an integrated HSM and the PIC32CZ CA80 without an integrated HSM. The HSM on the PIC32CZ CA90 is a unified security solution for industrial and consumer applications. The HSM operates as a secure subsystem with a distinct MCU on board that manages firmware and security features, such as hardware secure launch, key storage, cryptographic acceleration and more.
“Our PIC32CZ CA microcontroller with an integrated HSM is our first device with an HSM,” Arnold said. “Automotive is one application for an HSM that has demonstrated benefits for security and performance. The HSM is more about creating a firewalled secure subsystem that is separate from the main host MCU, keeping all security separate from the main host microcontroller. In general, our HSM provides a very high level of performance compared with other MCUs. Our AEC-128 encryption is greater than 1,280 Mbps.”
For products requiring additional security, factory provisioning is available on the PIC32CZ CA90, providing customers with pre-provisioned, deployment-ready devices. At the heart of this provisioning process lies the Microchip Trust Platform Development Suite, an in-house secure provisioning utility. It is primarily geared toward the provisioning of devices, specifically the integration of essential keys and certificates. It facilitates the establishment of a fortified supply chain through the injection of certificates or unique keys directly into the device, fortifying its security posture. This proactive approach ensures that devices are not only capable but also well-prepared to meet the stringent security demands of today’s interconnected world.
The scalability of PIC32CZ CA devices offers flexibility in terms of flash memory and SRAM, allowing applications to adapt without requiring a change in the hardware. Arnold said this scalability provides a pin-for-pin compatible solution. For example, an application can start with a 2-MB flash version but later scale up to a 4-MB or 8-MB flash version without requiring a different device. This flexibility can streamline the development process and reduce hardware costs.
Arnold said error-correction–code (ECC) memory is crucial for data integrity. ECC can correct single-bit errors and detect double-bit errors. In terms of data integrity, ECC ensures that the stored data remains 100% correct even in the presence of bit errors. This is especially important in critical applications where data accuracy is paramount.
Secure boot plays a pivotal role in embedded security by verifying the authenticity and integrity of application code, protecting against malicious tampering. “The PIC32CZ CA series, specifically the PIC32CZ CA90, implements secure boot functionality through a combination of hardware features,” Arnold said.
The core of the secure boot process is a boot ROM, which is immutable and cannot be modified. This ROM contains the secure boot code, ensuring that it is a known and trusted entity. Additionally, cryptographic hardware within the PIC32CZ CA90 is used to verify the signature of the application code and its hash. This multi-layered security approach ensures that the device executes only authenticated and unaltered code, safeguarding against unauthorized access or tampering.
To expedite the design cycle, Microchip said it provides an ecosystem of development resources, including evaluation boards, and ready-to-use application examples built on the MPLAB Harmony v3 embedded software framework.
The PIC32CZ CA80 Curiosity Ultra Development Board is the hardware platform for evaluating PIC32CZ CA80 MCUs while the PIC32CZ CA90 Curiosity Ultra Development Board is the hardware platform for evaluating PIC32CZ CA90 MCUs. Both platforms are supported by the MPLAB integrated development environment and MPLAB Harmony and include an embedded programmer/debugger. Connectors allow for the simple addition of Arduino Uno R3, MikroElektronika Click boards or Xplained Pro expansion boards for developing Bluetooth audio, IoT, robotics and other proof-of-concept designs.
What’s Next for the Microcontroller?
Although the microcontroller market is set for sustained growth, do MCU technical features and functions need to evolve to continue meeting customer requirements? Is the general-purpose MCU being replaced by application-specific versions?
Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio holds a Ph. D. in Physics and is a Telecommunications Engineer. He has worked on various international projects in the field of gravitational waves research, designing a thermal compensation system (TCS) and data acquisition and control systems, and on others about x-ray microbeams in collaboration with Columbia University, high voltage systems and space technologies for communications and motor control with ESA/INFN. TCS has been applied to the Virgo and LIGO experiments, which detected gravitational waves for the first time and earned the Nobel Prize in 2017. Since 2007, he has been a reviewer for scientific publications for academics such as Microelectronics Journal and IEEE journals. Moreover, he has collaborated with different electronic industry companies and several Italian and English blogs and magazines, such as Electronics World, Elektor, Mouser, Automazione Industriale, Electronic Design, All About Circuits, Fare Elettronica, Elettronica Oggi, and PCB Magazine, as a technical writer/editor, specializing in several topics of electronics and technology. From 2015 to 2018, he was the editor-in-chief of Firmware and Elettronica Open Source, which are technical blogs and magazines for the electronics industry. He participated in many conferences as a speaker of keynotes for different topics such as x-ray, space technologies, and power supplies. Maurizio enjoys writing and telling stories about Power Electronics, Wide Bandgap Semiconductors, Automotive, IoT, Embedded, Energy, and Quantum Computing. Maurizio has been an AspenCore content editor since 2019. He is currently editor-in-chief of Power Electronics News and EEWeb and a correspondent for EE Times. He is the host of PowerUP, a podcast about power electronics, and the promoter and organizer of the PowerUP Virtual Conference, a summit where each year great speakers talk about the power electronics design trends. Moreover, he has contributed to a number of technical and scientific articles as well as a couple of Springer books on energy harvesting and data acquisition and control systems.
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