ATSAM4N8CA-CFU - 100MHz Cortex-M4 512KB MCU | Microchip
MPN: ATSAM4N8CA-CFU ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $6.1 | $6.10 |
| 10 | $5.55 | $55.50 |
| 100 | $4.9 | $490.00 |
| 500 | $4.35 | $2,175.00 |
| 1,000 | $3.85 | $3,850.00 |
ATSAM4N8CA-CFU Overview
A microcontroller unit (MCU) is a single-chip embedded computer that integrates a processor core, non-volatile program memory, RAM, and a rich set of peripherals onto one die. Within the power-management hierarchy of embedded systems, the SAM4N family sits in Atmel/Microchip's entry-point segment of the Cortex-M4-based Flash MCU portfolio, positioning itself below the SAM4S while remaining pin-to-pin compatible with the SAM3S, SAM3N and SAM7S families.
Key features include the ARM Cortex-M4 core with DSP-capable instructions, a supply voltage window of 1.62V to 3.6V (with an internal 1.2V core regulator), 100 MHz maximum core speed, 512KB of on-chip Flash for firmware, and a reduced-BOM-cost peripheral set tailored for cost-sensitive industrial designs. The -C temperature suffix denotes an industrial temperature grade, and the package is lead-free, green (halogen concern free) with MRL compliance per Microchip's product pages.
Technically, the device leverages the Cortex-M4 3-stage pipeline Harvard architecture with a nested vectored interrupt controller (NVIC), single-cycle multiply, and Thumb-2 instruction set. Compared with the SAM4S family, the SAM4N removes USB and some analog blocks to reduce cost, making it the ideal migration path when a SAM4S design does not need those features.
Typical applications include industrial control nodes, consumer appliances, metering front-ends, and general-purpose embedded control where 512KB Flash and the compact 7x7 mm VFBGA footprint support space-constrained PCB designs.
A key design consideration: the VFBGA ball grid array requires controlled-impedance, fine-pitch PCB fabrication and X-ray inspection capability; verify your contract manufacturer supports 0.8 mm pitch BGA assembly before committing to this package.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing links, drop-in cross-references within the SAM4N/SAM3S/SAM4S families, and practical packaging and assembly notes not consolidated in the manufacturer datasheet.
Drop-in alternatives for ATSAM4N8CA-CFU — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with ATSAM4N8CA-CFU (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, RoHS Status, Flash Memory, Instruction Set, SRAM.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATSAM4N8CA-CFUR
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAM4N8CA-CU
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$2.02 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAM4N8CA-AU
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3.83 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAM4N16CA-CFUR
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$4.95 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAM4S8CA-CU
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAM3S8BA-MUR
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$5.15 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAM4N8CA-CFU Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Processor | ARM Cortex-M4 |
| Core Size | 32-Bit |
| Maximum Clock Speed | 100 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 512KB (512K x 8) |
| SRAM | 64KB (64K x 8) |
| Supply Voltage Range | 1.62 V to 3.6 V |
| Core Operating Voltage | 1.2 V (internal regulator) |
| Series | SAM4N |
| Number of Pins / Balls | 100 |
| Package | 100-VFBGA (7x7 mm), square, ball terminal form |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial |
| Terminal Form | Ball |
| Packaging Option | Tape & Reel (CFUR variant) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant (EU RoHS per Abacus data) |
| REACH Status | Compliant (per Abacus data) |
| Green / MRL | GREEN, MRL A (per Mouser listing) |
| Pin Compatibility | Pin-to-pin compatible with SAM3S, SAM3N, SAM7S (per datasheet) |
ATSAM4N8CA-CFU 100-vfbga (7x7 mm), square, ball terminal form Pin Configuration Guide
Pin configuration for ATSAM4N8CA-CFU (100-vfbga (7x7 mm), square, ball terminal form package). This digital IC includes GPIO, communication interfaces (UART, SPI, I2C), and power pins. Refer to the manufacturer datasheet for alternate pin functions and configuration options. Essential for embedded system design and PCB layout.
No detailed pinout data available for ATSAM4N8CA-CFU.
Refer to the datasheet for full pin configuration.
Typical Applications
ATSAM4N8CA-CFU is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Control Nodes, Consumer Appliance Control, Metering and Data Logging, Embedded Sensor Hubs, Motor Control Drives, Migration from SAM3N/SAM7S Designs.
Industrial Control Nodes
The ATSAM4N8CA-CFU fits industrial control nodes where a 100 MHz Cortex-M4 executes real-time control loops and communication stacks without a higher-cost application processor. Its industrial temperature grade and 1.62V-3.6V supply tolerance accommodate noisy factory power rails, while 512KB Flash holds protocol firmware such as Modbus or CAN stacks and 64KB SRAM buffers sensor telemetry. Because the SAM4N family is pin-to-pin compatible with SAM3S and SAM4S per the Atmel datasheet, control-card designs can be scaled between cost and feature tiers without respinning the PCB. The trade-off versus the SAM4S is the loss of USB, so field firmware updates must use UART, SPI or I2C bootloaders.
Recommended
Consumer Appliance Control
Consumer appliance boards - washing machines, air-conditioner indoor units, small kitchen appliances - benefit from the ATSAM4N8CA-CFU's reduced-BOM-cost positioning, which the Atmel datasheet explicitly defines as the SAM4N family's role relative to the SAM4S. The 100 MHz Cortex-M4 with DSP instructions runs sensor-fusion and motor commutation algorithms, and the 7x7 mm VFBGA package shrinks controller PCB area inside compact appliance enclosures. The 512KB Flash accommodates UI state machines plus touch-sensing libraries. Designers should weigh BGA assembly cost against QFP alternatives: the ATSAM4N8CA-AU in LQFP-100 offers the same die for manufacturers without BGA inspection capability.
Recommended
Metering and Data Logging
Energy and utility metering front ends use the ATSAM4N8CA-CFU's Cortex-M4 arithmetic throughput for DSP-style RMS computation and the 64KB SRAM for interval data buffers between communication windows. The 512KB Flash provides dual-bank style firmware headroom for field-updatable meter firmware plus calibration tables, an important consideration for devices with 10-20 year service expectations. Operating from 1.62V-3.6V, the part interfaces directly with 3.3V metering ADCs and RTC circuits without level translation. The industrial temperature grade supports outdoor and panel-mounted meter enclosures. Data integrity designs should exploit the EEPROM emulation in Flash documented in the SAM4N family reference manual.
Recommended
Embedded Sensor Hubs
As a sensor hub, the ATSAM4N8CA-CFU aggregates I2C/SPI sensor streams - accelerometers, pressure and gas sensors - and pre-processes them with Cortex-M4 DSP instructions before forwarding over UART or SPI to a host. The 100 MHz core handles FFT and filtering workloads that Cortex-M0 class hubs cannot sustain, and the 7x7 mm footprint fits inside compact sensor modules. Its 1.62V low-end supply operation enables battery-powered nodes running from two alkaline cells through a small regulator. Compared with the ATSAM4S8CA-CU, the SAM4N omits USB, which is typically irrelevant inside a hub module; designs needing a USB-side interface should step up to SAM4S.
Recommended
Motor Control Drives
Small BLDC and stepper drives leverage the ATSAM4N8CA-CFU's single-cycle multiply and DSP instructions to execute field-oriented control at PWM frequencies typical of appliance and industrial fans. Timer capture channels feed back hall or encoder signals, and the 100 MHz core closes current loops with cycle-level determinism free of RTOS jitter when coded bare-metal. The wide 1.62V-3.6V supply lets the MCU share the gate-driver logic rail. Note that the SAM4N's peripheral set is narrower than the SAM4S's; verify the required number of PWM channels and ADC trigger resources against the SAM4N datasheet before migration from a SAM4S drive design.
Recommended
Migration from SAM3N/SAM7S Designs
A primary application of the ATSAM4N8CA-CFU is performance migration: the Atmel datasheet documents pin-to-pin compatibility with SAM3S, SAM3N and SAM7S devices, so legacy boards can be upgraded by replacing the MCU and recompiling firmware. A SAM3N design moving to the SAM4N gains a 100 MHz Cortex-M4 with hardware divide and DSP instructions - roughly double the effective compute of a Cortex-M3 at similar clocks - without any PCB respin. Firmware porting effort centers on the clock-tree and peripheral register differences documented in the SAM4N family reference manual. This migration path also extends to SAM4S boards seeking reduced BOM cost when USB is unused.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATSAM4N8CA-CFU — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATSAM4N8CA-CFUR | ATSAM4N8CA-CU | ATSAM4S8CA-CU | ATSAM3S8BA-MUR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology (Atmel) | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 100-VFBGA (7x7) | 100-VFBGA (7x7) - same | TFBGA-100 - same footprint family | TFBGA-100 - same footprint family | 100-ball BGA - pin-to-pin per datasheet |
| Core | ARM Cortex-M4 | ARM Cortex-M4 | ARM Cortex-M4 | ARM Cortex-M4 | ARM Cortex-M3 |
| Flash Memory | 512KB | 512KB | 512KB | 512KB | 512KB |
| Supply Voltage | 1.62 V to 3.6 V | 1.62 V to 3.6 V | 1.62 V to 3.6 V | 1.62 V to 3.6 V | 1.62 V to 3.6 V |
| USB Peripheral | No | No | No | Yes (USB device) | Yes (USB device) |
| Temperature Grade | Industrial | Industrial | Industrial | Industrial | Industrial |
Key Differentiators
- Lowest-cost Cortex-M4 path in the 100-ball footprint (vs ATSAM4S8CA-CU)
- Cross-generation pin compatibility (vs ATSAM3S8BA-MUR)
- Memory headroom upgrade path in same footprint (vs ATSAM4N16CA-CFUR)
- Assembly flexibility via same-die package variants (vs ATSAM4N8CA-AU)
Design Notes
The 100-VFBGA (7x7) package demands fine-pitch BGA fabrication: specify 0.8 mm ball pitch design rules, via-in-pad or dog-bone fanout, and IPC Class 2 minimum assembly. Confirm your CM supports X-ray or acoustic microscopy inspection of BGA solder joints - hidden-ball defects cannot be caught visually. Because SAM4N is pin-to-pin compatible with SAM3S/SAM4S footprints, laying out the common ball map lets you dual-populate cost tiers. Estimated: a 7x7 mm BGA with two perimeter signal rows fanouts within roughly 4 routing layers at 0.1 mm trace/space.
Supply the VDDIO/VDDCORE rails per the SAM4N datasheet power section: the part runs from 1.62V-3.6V with an internal 1.2V core regulator, so place decoupling on every VDD ball and add a bulk capacitor near the regulator. If migrating from SAM7S 3.3V-only designs, verify brown-out and supervisor thresholds against SAM4N settings. Avoid powering I/O above VDD; the wide supply range tolerates 1.8V low-power rails, but external devices on the bus must match the I/O domain.
The SAM4N omits USB and selected analog blocks present on the SAM4S - a frequent migration surprise when dropping this part onto a SAM4S board. Audit peripheral usage (USB, certain ADC channels, PWM channels) against the SAM4N datasheet before substitution. Also distinguish ordering-code suffixes: -CFU vs -CFUR differ only in packaging (tray vs tape-and-reel), but -CU and -AU are mechanically different packages (TFBGA/LQFP) and do not share the VFBGA land pattern.
Estimated: a 100 MHz Cortex-M4 in VFBGA-100 dissipates on the order of 150-300 mW under typical digital workloads, far below the thermal capability of a 7x7 mm BGA on a 4-layer PCB; no heatsink is required. Concentrate on electrical, not thermal, layout: prioritize short, matched traces to Flash-boot-critical pins and solid ground balls. For sleep-current budgets, configure the SAM4N low-power modes per the family reference manual rather than relying on static I/O states.
Compliance Information
Abacus Technologies data marks the ATSAM4N8CA family as EU RoHS Compliant, REACH Compliant, and DRC Conflict Free. Mouser lists the part as GREEN with MRL A. AEC-Q100 qualification is not stated in the provided data.
