STMicroelectronics — STM32WLE5 Wireless SoC

The STM32WLE5 wireless system-on-chip (SoC) products from STMicroelectronics combine LoRa® low-power wide-area networking (LPWAN) and other power-efficient sub-1 GHz radio communications capabilities with a low-power microcontroller in a single chip.

The STM32WLE5’s single die includes the STM32L4 ultra low-power MCU, based on an Arm® Cortex®‐M4 core running at 48 MHz, alongside Semtech SX126x sub-1 GHz radio IP which meets local radio equipment regulations worldwide. The integration of the MCU and the LPWAN radio in a single chip helps to reduce bill-of-materials (BoM) costs and simplifies the design and assembly of end products.

With its low power consumption and small footprint, the STM32WLE5 enables the production of energy-efficient, compact, and lightweight new products for fast-growing industrial and IoT markets.

The world’s first LoRa-enabled SoC, the STM32WLE5 also supports other RF modulation schemes including (G)FSK, (G)MSK, and BPSK. Users have the flexibility to apply their choice of protocol stack, whether created in-house, sourced externally, or, like the LoRaWAN® and wM-Bus stacks available from ST and authorized partners, provided off-the-shelf.

Features of the integrated RF stage include a low-power 154 dBm and a high-power 22 dBm transmitter mode offering linear performance from 150 MHz to 960 MHz. The RF capability spans the sub-1 GHz unlicensed frequency range, which ensures technical compatibility with RF regulations in all world markets.

Sensitivity down to -148 dBm helps to maximize RF range. Only a single crystal is needed to synchronize the high-speed external clock and the radio, giving an additional BoM cost saving.

ST supplies the STM32WLE5 SoC in a 48-pin QFN package with a 7 mm x 7 mm footprint, and in a 5 mm x 5 mm, 73-pin BGA package. The QFN48 package option is particularly well suited to a simple two-layer board design, which eases manufacturing and reduces BoM costs.