ATSAME70Q21A-CNT - 300MHz Cortex-M7 MCU, 2MB Flash, 144-LFBGA | Microchip
MPN: ATSAME70Q21A-CNT ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $14.85 | $14.85 |
| 10 | $13.92 | $139.20 |
| 100 | $12.1 | $1,210.00 |
| 500 | $10.55 | $5,275.00 |
| 1,000 | $9.4 | $9,400.00 |
| 3,000 | $8.2 | $24,600.00 |
ATSAME70Q21A-CNT Overview
An ARM Cortex-M7 microcontroller is a high-performance embedded processor core with an in-order pipeline, branch prediction, tightly-coupled memories, and a hardware Floating Point Unit. In the wider taxonomy it sits as a Cortex-M7 core -> 32-bit MCU -> microcontroller -> embedded IC -> semiconductor. The Cortex-M7 is positioned above Cortex-M4 for DSP-heavy and signal-processing workloads because it adds a 6-stage pipeline with branch prediction and a double-precision FPU; in the SAME70 it is paired with 16 KB I-cache + 16 KB D-cache and 384 KB system SRAM that can be partitioned into dual-bank SRAM for concurrent DMA/CPU access without contention.
Key features include up to 300 MHz CPU clock, 2 MB Flash, 384 KB SRAM, a 16-bit stereo audio DAC, HS USB 2.0 device/host/OTG, 10/100 Ethernet MAC, two CAN-FD controllers, up to 17 SERCOM-configurable serial interfaces, a 24-bit AFEC, and 12-bit ADC. The integrated 80 MHz external bus interface supports SDRAM, SRAM, NOR Flash, and NAND Flash directly. The 144-LFBGA package provides generous I/O and clean high-speed signal escape for industrial-grade designs.
The ATSAME70Q21A-CNT typically appears in industrial HMI panels, motor control inverters, audio products with on-board DAC, IoT gateways, and point-of-sale terminals. Designers choose this part when they need Cortex-M7 throughput with rich connectivity without paying for an MPU running Linux.
When designing with this device, dedicate a 4-layer PCB stackup with continuous ground beneath the BGA and place the 12 MHz crystal within 5 mm of XIN/XOUT. Decouple every VDD/VBAT/VBUS pin with a 100 nF X7R plus a 4.7 uF bulk capacitor. Connect unused balls to a defined logic level, never leave them floating, to avoid leakage into the ESD structures.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in ATSAME70 family variants, and practical PCB/EMC design notes not found on the manufacturer summary page.
Drop-in alternatives for ATSAME70Q21A-CNT — 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 ATSAME70Q21A-CNT (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Package, ADC, Ethernet, Operating Temperature, SRAM.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
ATSAME70Q21B-CNT
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAME70Q21A-CFNT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$11.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAME70Q20A-CNT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$11.18 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAME70Q21A-CFNT
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$11.4 / Unit
View Datasheet →ATSAME70Q19B-CNT
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAMS70Q21B-CNT
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
ATSAME70Q21A-CNT Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | ARM Cortex-M7 with FPU (single + double precision) |
| Maximum CPU Clock | 300 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 2048 KB (2 MB) |
| SRAM | 384 KB multi-port SRAM |
| Cache | 16 KB I-cache + 16 KB D-cache |
| Package | 144-ball LFBGA, 10x10 mm |
| Supply Voltage (VDDIO) | 1.8 V typical (range 1.62 V to 3.6 V per data) |
| Operating Temperature | -40C to +105C (industrial) |
| External Bus Interface | EBI up to 80 MHz, supports SDRAM/NOR/NAND/SRAM |
| USB | USB 2.0 High-Speed device/host/OTG |
| Ethernet | 10/100 Mbps MAC (MII/RMII interface) |
| CAN | 2x CAN-FD controllers |
| Audio DAC | 16-bit, 2-channel on-chip audio DAC |
| ADC | 12-bit SAR ADC (up to 24 channels) |
| AFEC | 24-bit Sigma-Delta (up to 8 channels) |
| Timers | Multiple TC, PWM, and 32-bit SysTick |
| Crypto / TRNG | Hardware AES and True Random Number Generator |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
| MSL Level | 3 (per JEDEC J-STD-020) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount (BGA) |
ATSAME70Q21A-CNT Pin Configuration
| Pin A1 | VDDIO — I/O supply voltage (1.62V-3.6V) |
| Pin B1 | PA0 — GPIO / peripheral function A |
| Pin C1 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin D1 | PA1 — GPIO / peripheral function A |
| Pin E1 | VDDCORE — Internal core voltage (1.2V typical) |
| Pin F1 | PA2 — GPIO / peripheral function A |
| Pin G1 | XIN — 12 MHz crystal oscillator input |
| Pin H1 | XOUT — 12 MHz crystal oscillator output |
| Pin J1 | NRST — Active-low reset input |
| Pin K1 | TST — JTAG test mode |
| Pin L1 | TMS — JTAG test mode select |
| Pin M1 | TCK — JTAG test clock |
| Pin N1 | TDO — JTAG test data out |
| Pin A12 | USB_DP — USB 2.0 HS D+ pin |
| Pin B12 | USB_DM — USB 2.0 HS D- pin |
| Pin C12 | VBUS — USB VBUS sense |
| Pin D12 | VDDPLL — PLL supply voltage |
| Pin E12 | GND — Ground reference |
| Pin F12 | DAC0 — Audio DAC channel 0 output |
| Pin G12 | DAC1 — Audio DAC channel 1 output |
Typical Applications
ATSAME70Q21A-CNT is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial HMI and Touch Panel Controllers, Field-Oriented Motor Control (FOC) Drives, Audio Products with On-Board DAC, Industrial IoT Gateways and Edge Controllers, POS Terminal and Retail Printers, Drones and UAV Flight Control.
Industrial HMI and Touch Panel Controllers
The ATSAME70Q21A-CNT's 300 MHz Cortex-M7 core with hardware FPU and 384 KB multi-port SRAM is well-matched to industrial HMI designs running LVGL/EmWin on TFT displays. The integrated external bus interface can directly drive an 80 MHz SDRAM for framebuffer memory, while the on-chip 2D pixel renderer offloads DMA2D for partial-screen updates at 60 fps. Designers use the SAME70 over a Cortex-M4 for HMI when scroll/list rendering and smooth animations are required without paying for an MPU/Linux. The 144-LFBGA package routes cleanly to a 4-layer stackup with continuous ground reference.
Recommended
Field-Oriented Motor Control (FOC) Drives
The ATSAME70Q21A-CNT drives FOC algorithms for 3-phase BLDC and PMSM motors up to 30 kHz electrical loop bandwidth with margin. The Cortex-M7's double-precision FPU executes Park/Clarke transforms and PI controllers in single-digit microseconds, while the on-chip PWM timers with complementary outputs and 25 ns dead-time insertion drive the inverter stage. The SAME70's 12-bit 1 MSPS ADC samples phase currents synchronously to the PWM center-aligned trigger, eliminating jitter. This combination is why 1-3 kW industrial servo and robotics pick this MCU.
Recommended
Audio Products with On-Board DAC
The ATSAME70Q21A-CNT integrates a 16-bit dual-channel audio DAC designed to feed line-out or headphone amplifiers directly, while the 300 MHz CPU runs MP3/AAC/OPUS decode with significant headroom. Designers choose this MCU over an external DAC+MCU pair to reduce BOM cost and PCB area. The 384 KB multi-port SRAM buffers decoded audio frames, and the integrated I2S port can stream to an external codec when 24-bit/192 kHz quality is required. The result is a single-chip audio-IC design suitable for tabletop audio, kiosks, and intercom panels.
Recommended
Industrial IoT Gateways and Edge Controllers
The ATSAME70Q21A-CNT acts as an edge-of-network gateway in industrial IoT, aggregating Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP, CAN, and serial protocols before forwarding to the cloud. The integrated 10/100 Ethernet MAC with MII/RMII interfaces directly to a PHY such as the KSZ9893RNXI, while the dual CAN-FD ports connect to industrial sensor/actuator buses. The 2 MB Flash holds the full TCP/IP stack plus application firmware with TLS libraries, and the Cortex-M7 hardware AES engine accelerates encrypted MQTT/HTTPS connections. The 144-LFBGA package suits sealed IP65 enclosures where density matters.
Recommended
POS Terminal and Retail Printers
The ATSAME70Q21A-CNT powers compact POS terminals, electronic cash registers, and receipt printers where multiple connectivity standards converge. The HS USB 2.0 OTG handles peripherals, the Ethernet MAC connects to the store LAN, and the dual CAN-FD plus serial ports drive printer heads and customer-facing displays. The 2 MB Flash stores firmware, fonts, and graphics assets without external memory, reducing BOM and boot time. Designers use the SAME70 over a Cortex-M4 in POS because receipt rendering with logos and barcodes at the 300 MHz clock keeps print latency under 100 ms.
Recommended
Drones and UAV Flight Control
The ATSAME70Q21A-CNT runs DCM/EKF flight-control loops on a multi-rotor UAV at 1 kHz update rates with ample margin. The Cortex-M7's FPU executes quaternion math and DCM rotation matrices in single-digit microseconds, while the integrated PWM drives ESC signal lines directly. The HS USB serves as a configuration/boot port, and the high-speed SPI ports link to radio receivers and companion IMU/GPS modules. The 144-LFBGA package routes cleanly under a 30 mm x 30 mm flight-controller PCB. This is a popular stack for sub-2 kg commercial drones.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for ATSAME70Q21A-CNT — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | ATSAME70Q21B-CNT | ATSAME70Q21A-CFNT | ATSAME70Q20A-CNT | ATSAME70Q19B-CNT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology |
| Package | 144-LFBGA (10x10) | 144-LFBGA (10x10) - same | 144-LFBGA (10x10) - same | 144-LFBGA (10x10) - same | 144-LFBGA (10x10) - same |
| CPU Core | ARM Cortex-M7 @ 300 MHz | ARM Cortex-M7 @ 300 MHz | ARM Cortex-M7 @ 300 MHz | ARM Cortex-M7 @ 300 MHz | ARM Cortex-M7 @ 300 MHz |
| Flash Memory | 2 MB | 2 MB | 2 MB | 1 MB (-50%) | 512 KB (-75%) |
| SRAM | 384 KB | 384 KB | 384 KB | 384 KB | 256 KB (-33%) |
| Temperature Range | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +105C | -40C to +85C | -40C to +85C |
| Audio DAC | 16-bit stereo on-chip | 16-bit stereo on-chip | 16-bit stereo on-chip | 16-bit stereo on-chip | 16-bit stereo on-chip |
| Pricing (qty 1, approx) | $14.85 | $14.85 (similar) | $16.50 (industrial temp) | $13.20 (-11%) | $11.40 (-23%) |
Key Differentiators
- B-revision silicon fixes all known A-revision errata (vs ATSAME70Q21A-CNT)
- Industrial temperature grade option available (vs ATSAME70Q21A-CNT)
- Cost-down option with 1 MB Flash (vs ATSAME70Q20A-CNT)
Design Notes
The 144-LFBGA package requires a 4-layer or higher PCB with 0.8 mm ball pitch. Use 0.4 mm via-in-pad with epoxy-filled and plated-over construction for the inner rows. Place a continuous ground plane on layer 2 directly beneath the BGA to provide a low-inductance return path for the 300 MHz core signals. Microchip application note DS00002434 provides recommended escape routing for the SAME70 144-LFBGA variant.
Decouple every VDDIO/VDDCORE/VDDPLL ball with a 100 nF X7R ceramic placed within 3 mm of the ball, plus a 4.7 uF bulk capacitor per supply rail on the same board side. The SAME70 generates significant core current transients when the CPU enters/exits sleep states - inadequate bulk capacitance will cause VDDCORE droop and brown-out resets under dynamic frequency scaling.
The 12 MHz external crystal (XIN/XOUT) must be placed within 5 mm of the BGA balls with traces routed over a continuous ground reference. Use a Pi-network load capacitor configuration per the SAME70 reference manual; failure to match the crystal's load capacitance will result in USB HS PHY jitter and CAN-FD bit-timing violations. Add a 1 MOhm parallel resistor across XIN/XOUT to bias the oscillator into the linear region.
Do not leave any unused BGA ball floating - each ball has ESD diodes that can leak if not tied to a defined logic level. Connect unused balls to GND through a 10 kOhm resistor, or directly to VDDIO/GND per the SAME70 datasheet pin multiplexing table. Also ensure the JTAG TST pin is tied low via 10 kOhm at reset to enter normal mode; floating TST causes the part to enter boundary-scan mode at boot.
Estimated junction temperature at industrial worst-case: with 300 MHz CPU + 3.3V VDDIO and all peripherals active, the SAME70 144-LFBGA dissipates approximately 1.2-1.5 W. With the BGA mounted on a 4-layer JEDEC EIA/JESD51 test board (theta-JA around 28 C/W), junction rise above ambient is 35-45 C. A thermal via array under the central balls reduces junction-to-ambient by 15-20%.
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliant per Microchip product page. Standard part is not AEC-Q100 qualified - choose ATSAME70Q21A-CFNT for industrial temperature grade. Lead-free and halogen-free per JEDEC J-STD-020 MSL3 rating.
