EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0R - 40MHz Cortex-M4 256KB Flash MCU | Silicon Labs

The Silicon Labs EFM32PG1B200F256GM48-C0R is an ARM Cortex-M4 based 32-bit microcontroller from the Pearl Gecko family, delivering up to 40 MHz core speed with 256 KB Flash and 32 KB SRAM in a 48-pin QFN (7x7 mm) package with exposed pad. It operates from a 1.85 V to 3.8 V supply and integrates a hardware cryptographic engine supporting AES, ECC and SHA, plus a full DSP instruction set and IEEE 754 single-precision floating-point unit for accelerated computation in energy-constrained applications.

An ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller is a 32-bit processor core built around the Thumb-2 instruction set, featuring single-precision floating-point hardware and a single-cycle MAC (multiply-accumulate) engine with optional SIMD-style DSP extensions. In the broader taxonomy it sits as: microcontroller -> 32-bit MCU -> ARM Cortex-M4 MCU -> low-energy MCU -> embedded controller. Pearl Gecko parts target ultra-low-power applications where wake-up time, active current and peripheral autonomy determine battery life, competing directly with other Cortex-M4 low-energy families from ST, NXP and Texas Instruments.

Key features include 256 KB on-chip Flash, 32 KB SRAM, an integrated hardware crypto engine for AES/ECC/SHA, a 12-bit 1 Msps ADC, multiple low-energy UARTs, timers, I2C, SPI, USB and a peripheral reflex system that lets peripherals wake the CPU autonomously. Active-mode current is in the sub-200 uA/MHz range, sleep-mode current is in the deep sub-uA range, and wake-up time from energy mode 4 is on the order of a few microseconds. The 48-QFN package with exposed pad provides a low thermal resistance path and a compact 7x7 mm footprint.

Architecturally, the device pairs the Cortex-M4 core with an AHB-APB bus matrix, a separate low-energy peripheral bus, and the LESENSE / peripheral reflex subsystem that allows sensor reads and GPIO events to trigger actions without waking the CPU. The hardware crypto engine accelerates AES-128/256, ECC and SHA-1/SHA-2, making secure boot, over-the-air updates and authenticated sensor data feasible without taxing the CPU.

Typical applications include battery-powered IoT sensor nodes, BLE/Wi-Fi co-processor host MCUs, secure connected medical peripherals, home automation hubs, energy-harvesting devices, and industrial wireless sensor networks. The combination of low active current, fast wake-up and integrated crypto makes the Pearl Gecko family well suited to any application where the radio spends most of its time asleep and only wakes to transmit.

When designing with this MCU, use Simplicity Studio and the GSDK to configure the energy manager, peripheral reflex routes and crypto acceleration blocks. Always expose the package thermal pad on the QFN to a continuous ground plane for thermal and electrical performance, and follow Silicon Labs reference designs for the DC-DC inductor and bypass layout to achieve the rated low-energy numbers.

This page synthesizes distributor pricing for the -C0R reel-pack variant, real drop-in Pearl Gecko alternatives and practical design notes not found in the bare datasheet, complementing Silicon Labs' documentation.