In July 1997, Motorola SPS decided to open a design center in Brazil to increase its presence in Latin America and help business growth. The Campinas region in São Paulo state was the obvious choice for its strategic location and high availability of skilled work force. Within a 100 miles ratio, we have some of the best Brazilian universities, many world-class high-tech companies, several research centers and São Paulo city, South America's main business center.

The Brazil Semiconductor Technology Center (BSTC) held its opening ceremony on 15/Dec/1997, with an initial team of 8 experienced IC designers. By the end of 1998 the team had delivered 4 designs, including a HC08 microcontroller, and an automotive failure monitor. These early results propelled a very steep growth in the following years, even during the deep turn-down in the semiconductor industry. By the end of 2000 we reached a headcount of 60 with 15 delivered ICs. In 2005, already operating as Freescale Semiconductor, BSTC has 130+ employees (95% technical staff) and delivered over 70 designs.

• First LIN Physical Layer product in the market.
• Low EMI High Speed CAN driver that put Freescale at least a year ahead of the competition.
• Pioneered the HC908Q family of very low-cost flash MCUs which won the 2002 Electronic Products Magazine's Product of the year Award.
• Complex power management IC's for wireless and network processor applications.

BSTC is organized in several design groups that serve different market segments like Analog/Mixed-Signal SmartMOS ICs, 32- and 8-bit microcontrollers and embedded memories. Each group was deployed using a proven model of starting with a seed of experienced designers for fast time-to-productivity, building a strong relationship with the business unit and then, growing the team at a rate that does not compromise productivity or quality. One of our main strengths is that there is a lot of synergy between the groups, leading to innovative solutions that require a wide breath of skills. Another competitive advantage is that we have one of the highest retention rates world-wide (99% in 8 years).

Timeline

• 2004

  • Delivered MC13890, power management and audio IC for the 2G/2.5G wireless applications.
  • Delivered MC34703 an integrated power supply IC designed to support the PowerQUICC family and other MCUs and DSPs requiring a high current core supply.
  • Delivered MC33976, a MC33970 derivative with fast response for enhanced tachometer applications.
  • Created the Embedded Memories group focused on the development of Flash IP for 8- and 16-bit MCUs.
  • Designed HC3S08RC16, first ROM part of S08 MCU family.

• 2003

  • Delivered MC13790, power management and audio IC for 2G/2.5G wireless applications (multi-site project).
  • Delivered MC33742, a SBC (System Basis Chip) with an enhanced high-speed CAN Transceiver.
  • Delivered MC33970, the next generation of Gauge Driver ICs capable of handling large pointer applications.
  • Delivered the SmartMOS analog control IC in the dual-die MM908E624ACDWB product for automotive window lift applications.
  • Delivered HC9S089RC16, 2nd product of a family of Remote Control MCUs. Qualified on 1st silicon.
  • MC68HC908QY4 low-cost flash MCU sold more than 11M units in the first year alone.

• 2002

  • Delivered PC13717VH, the power management IC for a low cost platform for 2G GSM phones (multi-site project).
  • Delivered MC33689, a System Basis Chip with a LIN (Local Interconnect Network) transceiver.
  • Delivered HC9S089RC16, first product of a family of Remote Control MCUs. Qualified on 1st silicon.
  • The HC908Q family of very low-cost flash MCUs wins the 2002 Electronic Products Magazine's Product of the year Award.

• 2001

  • Delivered MC13713VHR2 and MC13181FC power management ICs for wireless applications (multi-site projects).
  • Delivered MC33991, the first product of a Gauge Driver IC family for 2-phase instrumentation stepper motor control.
  • Delivered 68HC08GP32, a low-cost, general purpose MCU.

• 2000

  • 2000With a headcount of 60, BSTC reached 15 delivered ICs.
  • Created the 32-bit Advanced System Controllers group focused on IP and SoC development for MCUs based on leading embedded cores like PowerPC, ColdFire and ARM.
  • Created the Power Management group focused on SmartMOS power management ICs for the portable wireless market.
  • Started family of SBC (System Basis Chip) with the MC44889 with a low speed, fault-tolerant CAN transceiver and the MC33989 with a high speed CAN transceiver.
  • Delivered MC33399, the first LIN (Local Interconnect Network) physical layer IC in the market.
  • BSTC co-developed and took full ownership of the HCS08 CPU.

• 1999

  • 1999Created the MCU Products group focused on 8-bit microcontrollers based on the HC08 and later on the HCS08 cores for consumer and automotive applications.
  • Created the Analog/Mixed-Signal Products group focused on SmartMOS ICs for consumer and automotive applications that became the world-wide center of excellence for automotive networking.

• 1998

  • 1998BSTC delivered 4 designs, including FMON60, a fail monitor IC for ABS systems, and HC908TV24, a MCU with on-screen display and closed-caption for TV and VCR applications.

• 1997

  • 1997BSTC starts its operations in Jaguariúna, São Paulo, with 10 engineers.