PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ - 8-Bit XLP MCU, 14KB Flash, 16-UQFN | Microchip
MPN: PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1.65 | $1.65 |
| 10 | $1.48 | $14.80 |
| 100 | $1.32 | $132.00 |
| 500 | $1.18 | $590.00 |
| 1,000 | $1.05 | $1,050.00 |
| 3,000 | $0.92 | $2,760.00 |
PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ Overview
What is an 8-bit microcontroller? An 8-bit MCU is a compact processor that fetches, decodes, and executes instructions on 8-bit wide data, typically used in embedded control tasks where cost, power, and deterministic real-time response matter more than raw throughput. Within the broader taxonomy, the PIC16LF18325 sits at the lower-power tier (LF) of the PIC16F18xxx family, falling under the 8-bit MCU category, then the microcontroller family, and finally the embedded processor / semiconductor hierarchy that drives billions of IoT sensor nodes, wearables, and appliance controls worldwide.
Key features of the PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ include the Peripheral Pin Select (PPS) module, which allows remapping of digital peripherals to any I/O pin to simplify PCB layout, a 10-bit ADC with computation (ADC2), a 5-bit and 10-bit DAC, two comparators, four Configurable Logic Cells (CLC) for hardware state-machine logic, a Numerically Controlled Oscillator (NCO) for fine frequency synthesis, Complementary Waveform Generators (CWG), and Enhanced Universal Synchronous/Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (EUSART) plus SPI and I2C communication interfaces. The device supports Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) that operate without CPU intervention, freeing the core for sleep or higher-level tasks.
From an architectural standpoint, the PIC16LF18325 employs a modified Harvard RISC core with a 14-bit instruction word and a hardware stack, complemented by separate program Flash, data SRAM, and EEPROM regions, with mapped access for non-volatile data retention across power cycles. The integrated 32 MHz high-precision internal oscillator eliminates the need for external crystals in most designs, reducing BOM cost and board area.
Typical applications for this part include battery-powered IoT sensor nodes leveraging XLP sleep modes, remote control units using CLC and NCO for RF baseband synthesis, small home appliances with capacitive-touch user interfaces, LED lighting drivers using PWM and CWG, and wearable health monitors where microamp standby currents extend coin-cell battery life into years. The 16-UQFN package and rich analog mix also suit industrial sensor transmitters and consumer white goods. Engineers choose this part for the LF low-voltage operation when running directly from a single 3V coin cell or from a regulated 1.8V rail, where the standard (F) variants fall below their Vdd minimum.
When designing with the PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ, ensure the Vdd decoupling network uses a 100 nF ceramic placed within 3 mm of the Vdd pin plus a bulk 1-10 uF, and always assert MCLR through a proper reset circuit or unused-pin tie-off. The exposed pad (EP) on the 16-UQFN must be soldered to the ground plane to meet thermal and electrical specifications. PPS conflicts should be resolved early in firmware with the Microchip MCC configurator to avoid illegal pin-function assignments at runtime.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternative MPNs, application circuits, and engineering design notes that are not consolidated anywhere else on the web, supporting both procurement teams and design engineers selecting the right Microchip XLP MCU for low-power embedded systems.
Drop-in alternatives for PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ — 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 PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ (same form factor and footprint) — differing in ADC, DAC, Package, Core Architecture, Core Independent Peripherals.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
PIC16F18325T-I/JQ
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$0.79 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18324T-I/JQ
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF18326T-I/JQ
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$0.85 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18344T-I/JQ
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
PIC16LF18323T-I/JQ
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$0.71 / Unit
View Datasheet →PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Core Architecture | PIC16 (8-bit RISC, 14-bit instruction word) |
| Program Memory (Flash) | 14 KB (8K x 14) |
| Data SRAM | 1 KB |
| EEPROM | 256 bytes |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 32 MHz |
| Operating Voltage Range | 1.8 V to 3.6 V (LF low-voltage) |
| I/O Pins | 12 |
| ADC | 10-bit ADC2 with computation |
| DAC | 5-bit and 10-bit DAC |
| Comparators | 2 |
| Communication Interfaces | EUSART, SPI, I2C |
| Peripheral Pin Select (PPS) | Yes |
| Core Independent Peripherals | CLC (4), NCO, CWG, PWM (10-bit) |
| Package | 16-UQFN (4x4 mm) with exposed pad |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Operating Temperature Range | -40 C to +85 C (industrial, I grade) |
| RoHS Status | Compliant |
PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | RA0 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, CCP/PPS-capable |
| Pin 2 | RA1 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, PPS-capable |
| Pin 3 | RA2 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, PPS-capable |
| Pin 4 | RA3 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, PPS-capable |
| Pin 5 | RA4 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, PPS-capable |
| Pin 6 | RA5 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, PPS-capable |
| Pin 7 | Vss — Ground reference |
| Pin 8 | RA7 — Bidirectional I/O, OSC1/CLKIN, PPS-capable |
| Pin 9 | RA6 — Bidirectional I/O, OSC2/CLKOUT, PPS-capable |
| Pin 10 | RC0 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, PPS-capable |
| Pin 11 | RC1 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, PPS-capable |
| Pin 12 | RC2 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, PPS-capable |
| Pin 13 | RC3 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, PPS-capable |
| Pin 14 | RC4 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, PPS-capable |
| Pin 15 | RC5 — Bidirectional I/O, analog input, PPS-capable |
| Pin 16 | Vdd — Positive supply 1.8V-3.6V (LF) |
| Pin EP | EP — Exposed thermal pad - must be soldered to ground plane |
Typical Applications
PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ is suitable for 7 applications: Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes, Remote Control Units with CLC/NCO, Home Appliance User Interfaces, LED Lighting Drivers, Wearable Health and Fitness Monitors, Industrial 4-20 mA Sensor Transmitters, Capacitive Touch Control Panels.
Battery-Powered IoT Sensor Nodes
The PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ's XLP (Extreme Low Power) technology with sub-microamp sleep modes and a 1.8V-3.6V supply window make it ideal for coin-cell powered IoT sensors that must wake, sample, and return to sleep without depleting the battery. The integrated 10-bit ADC2 with computation offloads averaging and threshold detection to hardware, while the EUSART/SPI/I2C plus PPS remapping let the same PCB drive multiple radio modules. Placed between the battery and the sensor front-end, the MCU cycles between XLP sleep and active ADC conversions, a duty ratio that extends 3V CR2032 battery life into the multi-year range typical of LPWAN environmental sensor designs.
Recommended
Remote Control Units with CLC/NCO
In RF remote control handsets the PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ's CLC (Configurable Logic Cells) and NCO (Numerically Controlled Oscillator) synthesize precise baseband tones or protocol bitstreams without CPU intervention, freeing the core for sleep. The wide 1.8V-3.6V supply range lets the design run directly from a single 3V coin cell or two AA cells, while the 14KB Flash holds custom protocol stacks with margin. Deployed between the keypad matrix and the radio front-end, the MCU delivers sub-microamp standby and rapid wake-to-transmit latency, a key metric for push-and-talk remote units where battery replacement costs dominate lifetime ownership.
Recommended
Home Appliance User Interfaces
For white-good and kitchen-appliance HMIs, the PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ combines capacitive touch via the 10-bit ADC2, PWM-driven LED dimming, and buzzer control through the CWG and PWM modules. The 16-UQFN 4x4 mm package and exposed pad give industrial-grade thermal performance under the high ambient of oven and dishwasher enclosures. Mounted near the front-panel flex cable, the MCU scans touch, drives LED indicators, and communicates with the main appliance controller via EUSART or I2C, all while operating from a 3.3V rail regulated down from the AC-DC converter. Industrial -40 C to +85 C temperature grade ensures reliability behind the appliance fascia.
Recommended
LED Lighting Drivers
The PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ drives LED strings and CC/CV power supplies using its complementary 10-bit PWM channels, CWG dead-band generators, and 10-bit DAC for analog set-point control. The LF 1.8V-3.6V supply suits low-voltage DC LED fixtures and battery-powered task lights, while the 32 MHz core offers fast control-loop update rates for tight current regulation across dimming transitions. Used as the digital controller between the DC-DC converter's sense resistor and the LED MOSFET gate, the MCU delivers smooth logarithmic dimming curves with virtually no audible flicker at any duty ratio, a key benefit for tunable-white and human-centric lighting designs.
Recommended
Wearable Health and Fitness Monitors
Wearable fitness bands and disposable health patches benefit from the PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ's XLP microamp sleep current, 1.8V-3.6V direct coin-cell operation, and ADC2 with computation for biosignal sampling without CPU intervention. The 16-UQFN 4x4 mm footprint fits into the tightest wristbands and chest straps, and the PIC16 32 MHz core executes heart-rate and SpO2 algorithms within tight wake-time budgets. Positioned between the coin cell, optical sensor, and BLE radio, the MCU achieves standby months on a single CR2032, making it a strong fit for continuous-monitoring wearables where service intervals directly impact the user experience.
Recommended
Industrial 4-20 mA Sensor Transmitters
The PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ serves as the digital brain in loop-powered 4-20 mA sensor transmitters used in process plants where the MCU must draw less than 3.5 mA while conditioning, linearizing, and driving the current loop. XLP sleep modes plus the 32 MHz core let the MCU wake on ADC interrupt, run compensation algorithms, and update the current loop DAC before returning to sleep, all while operating from a 1.8V-3.6V rail derived from the loop itself. The exposed thermal pad and the -40 C to +85 C industrial grade support harsh-environment enclosures, while the rich peripheral mix (CLC, NCO, CWG, PPS) reduces the external component count compared with legacy PIC16 designs.
Recommended
Capacitive Touch Control Panels
Capacitive touch panels for consumer electronics and appliances benefit from the PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ's 10-bit ADC2 with computation, multiple comparator channels, and CLC modules that decode touch events in hardware without round-trip interrupt latency. The 1.8V-3.6V supply allows the design to run from a small LDO downstream of USB or battery power, while the 32 MHz core delivers 5 ms typical touch response times. Used between the capacitive sensor matrix and the host processor via EUSART or I2C, the MCU scales from two-button appliances to 16-key numeric pads using the same firmware framework, accelerating panel variant development and reducing inventory SKUs.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for PIC16LF18325T-I/JQ — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | PIC16F18325T-I/JQ | PIC16LF18324T-I/JQ | PIC16LF18326T-I/JQ | PIC16LF18323T-I/JQ | PIC16LF18344T-I/JQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 16-UQFN (4x4) | 16-UQFN (4x4) - same | 16-UQFN (4x4) - same | 16-UQFN (4x4) - same | 16-UQFN (4x4) - same | 16-UQFN (4x4) - same |
| Brand | Microchip Technology | Microchip Technology - same | Microchip Technology - same | Microchip Technology - same | Microchip Technology - same | Microchip Technology - same |
| Program Flash | 14 KB | 14 KB | 7 KB | 28 KB | 3.5 KB | 7 KB |
| SRAM | 1 KB | 1 KB | 512 B | 1 KB | 256 B | 512 B |
| EEPROM | 256 B | 256 B | 256 B | 256 B | 256 B | 256 B |
| Operating Voltage | 1.8V to 3.6V (LF) | 2.3V to 5.5V (F) | 1.8V to 3.6V (LF) | 1.8V to 3.6V (LF) | 1.8V to 3.6V (LF) | 1.8V to 3.6V (LF) |
| Maximum CPU Speed | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz | 32 MHz |
| Core Independent Peripherals | CLC(4), NCO, CWG, PWM(10-bit) | CLC(4), NCO, CWG, PWM | Reduced CLC count | Full CIP set | Reduced CIPs | Different CIP mix (45xx focus) |
| I/O Pin Count | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| XLP Sleep Current (typ) | Sub-uA (XLP) | Sub-uA (XLP) | Sub-uA (XLP) | Sub-uA (XLP) | Sub-uA (XLP) | Sub-uA (XLP) |
Key Differentiators
- Lowest supply voltage (1.8V) in the PIC16F18325 family (vs PIC16F18325T-I/JQ)
- Doubled Flash over the next-smaller 16-UQFN variant (vs PIC16LF18324T-I/JQ)
- Half the Flash but full CIP peripheral mix at lower cost (vs PIC16LF18326T-I/JQ)
- Larger Flash/RAM than the 16-UQFN 18323 (vs PIC16LF18323T-I/JQ)
Design Notes
Decouple Vdd with a 100 nF X7R ceramic placed within 3 mm of the Vdd pin plus a bulk 1-10 uF tantalum or ceramic close to the regulator. For coin-cell designs, place a 100 kohm pull-up on MCLR (or use the internal MCLR via configuration) and keep the LF device between 1.8V and 3.6V - do NOT subject the LF variant to 5V rails. Estimated sleep current in XLP mode with RTC enabled is ~0.5-1 uA depending on peripheral retention bits.
The 16-UQFN 4x4 mm package exposes a thermal pad on the underside - it MUST be soldered to a grounded copper pour of at least 5x5 mm to meet thermal and electrical specifications. Keep high-frequency traces (crystal, EUSART) short and away from the analog ADC inputs. Place the decoupling cap on the same layer as the Vdd pin to minimize parasitic inductance, and route PPS-assigned signals to reserved GPIO banks (RA / RC) to avoid illegal pin-function conflicts at runtime.
Estimated: do NOT confuse the LF (low-voltage 1.8-3.6V) variant with the standard F variant (2.3-5.5V); over-voltage application damages the LF silicon. Don't leave MCLR floating - if unused, follow the Microchip datasheet recommendation (10 kohm pull-up to Vdd or use the internal weak pull-up via configuration word). Finally, use the MCC (MPLAB Code Configurator) tool to generate PPS and ADC2 setup code; manual register editing for PPS is error-prone and a frequent source of 'no peripheral output' debugging sessions.
For SPI/I2C buses above 1 MHz, add 4.7 kohm pull-ups on I2C SDA/SCL and place 33 ohm series resistors on SPI CLK/MOSI close to the MCU pins to dampen ringing on long board traces. The ADC2 analog inputs benefit from a 100 ohm + 1 nF RC anti-alias filter at the analog pin when sampling noisy sensor signals. If the design uses the internal 32 MHz HFINTOSC, calibrate via the OSCTUNE register at production to compensate for manufacturing variation (typical +/-2% over temperature).
Compliance Information
RoHS and REACH compliance per Microchip product page. Not AEC-Q100 qualified for automotive - use PIC16F18325-E/JQVAO (automotive grade) for vehicle applications. Industrial -40 C to +85 C temperature grade (I).
