ATSAME53J18A-AU - 120MHz Cortex-M4F MCU 256KB Flash | Microchip
MPN: ATSAME53J18A-AU ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $7.31 | $7.31 |
| 10 | $6.58 | $65.80 |
| 100 | $5.84 | $584.00 |
| 500 | $5.25 | $2,625.00 |
| 1,000 | $4.66 | $4,660.00 |
ATSAME53J18A-AU Overview
A microcontroller (MCU) is a single-chip computer that integrates a CPU core, volatile memory (SRAM), non-volatile memory (Flash), and a rich set of peripherals such as timers, communication controllers, and analog blocks. Within the broader taxonomy, the ATSAME53J18A belongs to the ARM Cortex-M family of microcontrollers, which sit below application processors in capability but above 8-bit MCUs in performance and energy efficiency. Cortex-M4F devices add a single-precision FPU and DSP instructions, enabling efficient signal-processing algorithms in deterministic real-time firmware.
Key features of the ATSAME53J18A include 120 MHz maximum CPU clock, 256 KB Flash with ECC, 128 KB SRAM with ECC, a 12-bit 1 Msps ADC, two 12-bit 1 Msps DACs, multiple SERCOM interfaces, an I2S interface, a 10/100 Ethernet MAC, Full-Speed USB device/host, High-Speed USB, SD/MMC host, and a Cryptographic Accelerator supporting AES, SHA, and True Random Number Generation. The Cortex-M4F core includes a Memory Protection Unit (MPU) and a single-precision FPU, supporting DSP extensions for sensor fusion and motor control code paths.
The SAM E53 family is built on a low-power 65 nm CMOS process and features multiple low-power modes (Idle, Standby, Backup, and Off) with typical Sleep currents below 100 uA and a full-power Active current of approximately 14 mA at 120 MHz across all peripherals enabled. The 64-pin TQFP-EP package provides a low-thermal-resistance path and supports industrial temperature-grade variants. Firmware development is supported by Microchip MPLAB X IDE, MPLAB Harmony v3, and ASF, with CMSIS-Pack deliverables for cross-tool integration.
Typical applications for the ATSAME53J18A-AU include industrial IoT gateways with Ethernet connectivity, building automation controllers, CAN-FD automotive body controllers, USB Human Interface Devices (HID), motor-control front ends for low-voltage BLDC drives, and connected sensor hubs in smart-home systems. The combination of 120 MHz performance, deterministic Cortex-M4F interrupt latency, and integrated Ethernet/USB/CAN-FD peripherals reduces the need for external co-processors.
When designing with the ATSAME53J18A, ensure that the VDDCORE pin is decoupled with 100 nF plus 4.7 uF bulk capacitors as specified in the SAM E53 datasheet, and that the 32.768 kHz crystal load capacitors are correctly sized for the chosen XTAL model. Use the SERCOM multiplexer carefully because each SERCOM instance can be mapped to only one peripheral function at a time; planning the pin map early avoids costly PCB rework.
This page consolidates distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives from the SAME53 family, and practical design notes that are not duplicated in the Microchip datasheet, helping engineers shorten component selection and BOM validation cycles.
Drop-in alternatives for ATSAME53J18A-AU — 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 ATSAME53J18A-AU (same form factor and footprint) — differing in ADC, DAC, Ethernet, Operating Temperature Range, SRAM.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATSAME53J19A-AU
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAME53J20A-AU
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAME53J18A-AU-EFP
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$4.65 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAME53N20A-AU
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$10.3 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAME51J19A-AUT-EFP
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$6.45 / Unit
View Datasheet →STM32F405RGT6
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$6.75 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAME53J18A-AU Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core | ARM Cortex-M4F with single-precision FPU |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 120 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 256 KB (with ECC) |
| SRAM | 128 KB (with ECC) |
| Operating Voltage | 1.71 V to 3.6 V |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C (industrial) |
| Package | 64-pin TQFP (10x10 mm) |
| ADC | 12-bit, up to 1 Msps, up to 16 channels |
| DAC | Two 12-bit, 1 Msps |
| Ethernet | 10/100 Mbps MAC (requires external PHY) |
| USB | Full-Speed USB 2.0 device/host + High-Speed USB |
| CAN | CAN 2.0B and CAN-FD |
| SERCOM | Configurable USART/SPI/I2C (multiple instances) |
| Cryptographic Accelerator | AES, SHA, TRNG |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
ATSAME53J18A-AU Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | PA03 — GPIO / ADC AIN[1] (peripheral function E) |
| Pin 2 | PA04 — GPIO / VREF / ADC AIN[4] |
| Pin 3 | PA05 — GPIO / ADC AIN[5] |
| Pin 4 | PA06 — GPIO / ADC AIN[6] |
| Pin 5 | PA07 — GPIO / ADC AIN[7] |
| Pin 6 | VDDIO — I/O supply voltage |
| Pin 7 | VDDCORE — Core voltage (decouple 100 nF + 4.7 uF) |
| Pin 8 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin 9 | PA08 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 10 | PA09 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 11 | PA10 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 12 | PA11 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 13 | PA12 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 14 | PA13 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 15 | PA14 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 16 | PA15 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 17 | PA16 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / I2S |
| Pin 18 | PA17 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / I2S |
| Pin 19 | PA18 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / I2S |
| Pin 20 | PA19 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / I2S |
| Pin 21 | PA20 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / I2S |
| Pin 22 | PA21 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / I2S |
| Pin 23 | PA22 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 24 | PA23 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / USB ID |
| Pin 25 | PA24 — GPIO / USB D- |
| Pin 26 | PA25 — GPIO / USB D+ |
| Pin 27 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin 28 | VDDIO — I/O supply voltage |
| Pin 29 | PB00 — GPIO / ADC AIN[8] |
| Pin 30 | PB01 — GPIO / ADC AIN[9] |
| Pin 31 | PB02 — GPIO / ADC AIN[10] / DAC0 |
| Pin 32 | PB03 — GPIO / ADC AIN[11] / DAC1 |
| Pin 33 | PB04 — GPIO / ADC AIN[12] |
| Pin 34 | PB05 — GPIO / ADC AIN[13] |
| Pin 35 | PB06 — GPIO / ADC AIN[14] |
| Pin 36 | PB07 — GPIO / ADC AIN[15] |
| Pin 37 | PB08 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 38 | PB09 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 39 | PB10 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 40 | PB11 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C |
| Pin 41 | PB12 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / CAN-FD RX |
| Pin 42 | PB13 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / CAN-FD TX |
| Pin 43 | PB14 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / Ethernet |
| Pin 44 | PB15 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / Ethernet |
| Pin 45 | PB16 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / Ethernet |
| Pin 46 | PB17 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / Ethernet |
| Pin 47 | PB18 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / Ethernet |
| Pin 48 | PB19 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / Ethernet |
| Pin 49 | PB20 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / Ethernet |
| Pin 50 | PB21 — GPIO / SERCOM/I2C / Ethernet |
| Pin 51 | VDDIO — I/O supply voltage |
| Pin 52 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin 53 | PA27 — GPIO / Crystal oscillator output |
| Pin 54 | PA28 — GPIO / Crystal oscillator input |
| Pin 55 | XIN32 — 32.768 kHz crystal input |
| Pin 56 | XOUT32 — 32.768 kHz crystal output |
| Pin 57 | NRST — Active-low reset |
| Pin 58 | SWDIO — Serial Wire Debug data |
| Pin 59 | SWCLK — Serial Wire Debug clock |
| Pin 60 | VDDIO — I/O supply voltage |
| Pin 61 | VDDCORE — Core voltage (decouple 100 nF + 4.7 uF) |
| Pin 62 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin 63 | PA00 — GPIO / XIN |
| Pin 64 | PA01 — GPIO / XOUT / VREF |
Typical Applications
ATSAME53J18A-AU is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial IoT Ethernet Gateway, Building Automation Controller, USB Human Interface Device (HID), BLDC Motor Control Front End, Connected Sensor Hub, CAN-FD Automotive Body Controller.
Industrial IoT Ethernet Gateway
The ATSAME53J18A-AU's integrated 10/100 Ethernet MAC and 120 MHz Cortex-M4F with FPU make it a strong fit for industrial IoT gateways that aggregate sensor data and forward it to MQTT brokers or cloud endpoints. Engineers typically pair it with a Microchip KSZ8041 or LAN8720 RMII PHY over the dedicated MAC pins, using DMA descriptors to offload TCP/IP throughput from the CPU. The 256 KB Flash is sufficient for an lwIP + FreeRTOS + TLS 1.2 stack, while the 128 KB SRAM keeps TCP packet buffers in-chip without external SDRAM. Compared with a Cortex-M0 gateway, the FPU allows elliptic-curve cryptography for DTLS handshakes in firmware, reducing gateway wake-time and energy per transaction.
Recommended
Building Automation Controller
For KNX, BACnet, or Modbus building-automation controllers, the ATSAME53J18A-AU offers the CAN-FD peripheral, eight SERCOM instances, and Ethernet on a single chip, eliminating the need for separate transceiver MCUs. The 12-bit 1 Msps ADC samples temperature, humidity, and lighting sensors directly, while the dual 12-bit DAC drives analog actuators for HVAC damper control. The Cortex-M4F DSP instructions accelerate FFT-based audio beam-forming for occupancy sensors, and the integrated Cryptographic Accelerator secures OTA firmware updates with AES-256 and SHA-256. Industrial -40C to +85C rating covers rooftop equipment enclosures.
Recommended
USB Human Interface Device (HID)
The ATSAME53J18A-AU's integrated Full-Speed USB 2.0 device controller enables drop-in implementation of USB HID keyboards, mice, touch panels, and barcode scanners without an external bridge chip. The High-Speed USB port on the SAME53 family supports higher-bandwidth devices such as USB audio class 2.0 speakers and USB video class 1.1 webcams. The 12-bit ADC reads analog joysticks or capacitive touch sensors directly, and SERCOM peripherals drive I2C or SPI displays and LEDs. Firmware latency for HID reports is well under 1 ms thanks to deterministic Cortex-M4F interrupt response.
Recommended
BLDC Motor Control Front End
The 120 MHz Cortex-M4F with single-precision FPU runs field-oriented control (FOC) algorithms for sensorless BLDC and PMSM motors at switching frequencies up to 30 kHz with comfortable CPU headroom. The ATSAME53J18A-AU's PWM timer counter (TCC) supports complementary outputs with 24-bit resolution and dead-time insertion, directly driving a three-phase inverter through gate drivers such as the Microchip MCP8026. The integrated 12-bit ADC with up to 16 channels samples phase currents at the PWM midpoint, and the Cortex-M4F DSP instructions accelerate Park and Clarke transforms. CAN-FD feedback to a higher-level ECU is provided by the on-chip CAN-FD controller.
Recommended
Connected Sensor Hub
In smart-home and industrial sensor hubs, the ATSAME53J18A-AU aggregates I2C and SPI sensors through its flexible SERCOM multiplexer and publishes telemetry over Ethernet, CAN-FD, or USB. The Cortex-M4F with FPU executes on-sensor FFT, threshold detection, and predictive-maintenance algorithms before forwarding data upstream, reducing network bandwidth by 60-80% compared with raw-streaming designs. The Backup low-power mode retains the 128 KB SRAM contents while consuming under 5 uA, allowing wake-on-sensor events for battery-friendly deployments. The integrated True Random Number Generator and AES accelerator enable secure sensor authentication.
Recommended
CAN-FD Automotive Body Controller
The ATSAME53J18A-AU's CAN-FD controller makes it well suited for body-control modules in two-wheeler and entry-level automotive applications, where it handles body-domain message routing at up to 5 Mbps on the CAN-FD bus. The Cortex-M4F runs AUTOSAR-compatible real-time operating systems with deterministic interrupt latency, and the 256 KB Flash is sufficient for OSEK/VDX or AUTOSAR ECUM with COM stack and PDU router. The -40C to +85C rating covers cabin modules, and the Cryptographic Accelerator secures CAN-FD frames with CMAC authentication. For under-hood applications up to 125C, the ATSAMx5x-MF extended-temperature variants are recommended instead.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATSAME53J18A-AU — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATSAME53J19A-AU | ATSAME53J20A-AU | ATSAME53J18A-AU-EFP | STM32F405RGT6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | STMicroelectronics |
| Package | TQFP-64 (10x10) | TQFP-64 (10x10) | TQFP-64 (10x10) | TQFP-64 (10x10) | LQFP-64 (10x10) |
| Core | ARM Cortex-M4F | ARM Cortex-M4F | ARM Cortex-M4F | ARM Cortex-M4F | ARM Cortex-M4F |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 120 MHz | 120 MHz | 120 MHz | 120 MHz | 168 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 256 KB | 512 KB | 1 MB | 256 KB + 8 KB aux | 1 MB |
| SRAM | 128 KB | 256 KB | 256 KB | 128 KB | 192 KB |
| Ethernet | 10/100 MAC | 10/100 MAC | 10/100 MAC | 10/100 MAC | 10/100 MAC |
| CAN-FD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (bxCAN, no CAN-FD) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C |
Key Differentiators
- Integrated 10/100 Ethernet MAC at low cost (vs ATSAMD51J18A-AU)
- Higher clock speed than SAME51 family (vs ATSAME51J19A-AU)
- Cryptographic Accelerator with TRNG (vs STM32F405RGT6)
Design Notes
Decouple VDDCORE with a 100 nF X7R ceramic placed within 2 mm of the pin, plus a 4.7 uF X5R bulk capacitor. Use a ferrite bead between VDDIO and AVDD to isolate analog supply noise from the ADC reference; this typically improves ADC SNR by 4-6 dB at full 1 Msps sampling rate. Estimated: using the Microchip SAM E53 reference schematic, total supply current at 120 MHz active is approximately 14 mA per rail.
The 64-pin TQFP package has a thermal resistance of approximately 38 C/W (theta_JA) on a 4-layer JEDEC test board. At 120 MHz and full peripheral activity, the die typically dissipates 250-300 mW; ensure the PCB copper pour beneath the exposed pad (if present in the TQFP variant) provides at least 1 square inch of continuous copper. Estimated: a 25C ambient with 300 mW dissipation results in a junction temperature rise of approximately 11.4 C, well within the 85C industrial limit.
Route the 32.768 kHz crystal traces as short as possible (under 5 mm) and guard them with a ground pour to minimize pickup from adjacent high-speed SERCOM signals. Place the 12 pF load capacitors immediately adjacent to the XIN32 and XOUT32 pins. The Ethernet RMII signals require 50-ohm controlled impedance and should be length-matched within 2 mm; route them on the top layer with a continuous reference ground plane underneath.
Each SERCOM instance can be mapped to only one peripheral function at a time. Plan the SERCOM-to-pin assignment in MPLAB Harmony's Pin Manager before laying out the PCB; changing SERCOM mappings after PCB fabrication requires board rework. Also note that the SAME53's High-Speed USB port requires an external ULPI transceiver for full 480 Mbps operation - the on-chip transceiver only supports Full-Speed USB natively.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliance per Microchip product page. Not AEC-Q100 qualified; the ATSAMx5x-MF automotive variant should be used for AEC-Q100 applications.
