ON Semiconductor Strategy & Design Guide: Verified Parts, Robust Patterns, and Lifecycle Tactics

1. Contents
2. Introduction & Scope
3. Exact ON Semiconductor Picks
4. Architectural Roles Across the ON Stack
5. Timing Contracts, Latency Budgets & Jitter Ceilings
6. Power: DCDC, LDO, References & Sequencing
7. Signal Chain: ADC, DAC, Op Amps & References
8. Connectivity: Ethernet PHY, CAN, USB-UART & Isolation
9. Non-Volatile & Volatile Memory Strategy
10. Sensors: IMU, Humidity, Baro & ESD Hygiene
11. PCB, EMC/ESD, SI/PI & Co-Design
12. Verification: Sim → Formal → HIL Long-Soak
13. Supply, Lifecycle, Second-Source Policy
14. Executive FAQ
15. Glossary

If you are benchmarking an ON Semiconductor portfolio for products you must actually ship, this guide emphasizes budgeting you can defend, verification you will run, and sourcing plans that survive quarter-end crunches.

Need a neutral refresher on what ON Semiconductor entails? Skim the ON Semiconductor overview for fabrication, device types, and scaling; then come back for production-grade patterns, exact part picks, and buying policy.

Exact ON Semiconductor Picks

CategoryModelWhy it mattersTypical fitsDatasheetBuck RegulatorNCP1034100 V synchronous buck controller; high efficiency with integrated drivers.Automotive pre-reg, industrial 48 V → 5 V/3.3 V railsNCP1034LDO (300–600 mA)NCP115300 mA high PSRR LDO; ultra-low noise for sensitive apps.Radio/codec rails, sensors, MCU VDDIONCP115Compact LDONCP140150 mA capacitor-free LDO; tiny package for space-constrained.Op-amp stages, references, IMU powerNCP140Precision ReferenceNCV514603.3 V micropower reference; 0.2% accuracy for precision.Metrology, weight scales, instrumentation ADC refsNCV51460Hi-Accuracy ReferenceTL431Programmable shunt reference; 0.4% accuracy, adjustable.R2R DAC refs, bridge sensors, precision loopsTL431Zero-Drift Op-Amp (dual)NCS21912Dual zero-drift; 10 μV offset, low noise for precision.Load cell front ends, thermocouples (with CJC), low-offset loopsNCS2191224-bit ΣΔ ADC (PGA)NAFE93352Scalable 24-bit AFE with PGA; for industrial precision.Industrial weigh, RTD/thermistor precision sensingNAFE93352Simultaneous-Sampling ADCKT110024-bit 8-ch simultaneous; low noise for multi-channel.Power quality, motor control acquisition, grid monitorsKT1100Ethernet PHY (Ind.)NCN2600010BASE-T1S industrial Ethernet; low power multi-drop.Industrial Ethernet nodes, gatewaysNCN26000CAN Transceiver (3.3 V)NCV7340High-speed low power CAN; 3.3V compatible.Motion control, battery systems, robotsNCV7340CAN Transceiver (5 V)NCV7344High-speed CAN FD; robust for automotive.Automotive/industrial CAN backbonesNCV7344I²C IsolatorFXMAR2102Dual supply I2C voltage translator; hot-swap support.High-side sensing islands, noisy ground splitsFXMAR2102USB-UART BridgeCP2102NUSB to UART with GPIO; low power multi-protocol.Field debug ports, bootloadersCP2102NUSB-UART (alt.)MCP2200USB to UART converter; HID for plug-and-play.Manufacturing fixtures, service donglesMCP2200Quad SPI NOR FlashLE25S16116 Mbit SPI NOR; low power for embedded.Firmware, assets, parameter storageLE25S161SPI SRAM (1 Mbit)N01S8301 Mbit SPI SRAM; ultra-low power standby.Frame buffers, comms queues, compression stagingN01S830RTC (low power)PCF2129Nano-power RTC; integrated crystal for accuracy.Data loggers, low-power gatewaysPCF2129Humidity & Temp SensorNHET01NFC-enabled humidity sensor; contactless reading.Environmental telemetry, enclosure monitoringNHET01Altimeter / PressureMPL3115A2Digital pressure sensor; altimetry with FIFO.HVAC, portable nodes, drones (non-safety)MPL3115A23-Axis AccelerometerMMA8451QLow-g 12-bit accelerometer; tap/wake detection.Motion triggers, vibration trendingMMA8451QUSB ESD ArrayCM1240Dual-voltage ESD array for USB; low cap protection.USB device/host connectorsCM1240CAN ESD ProtectorESDONCAN1Low cap CAN ESD protector; high surge capability.Automotive/industrial CAN nodesESDONCAN1

Architectural Roles Across the ON Stack

Across embedded systems, the ON semiconductor stack typically plays three roles: (1) deterministic power & clock domains, (2) clean signal conditioning and conversion, and (3) robust I/O termination and protection that keeps software honest. When you design with these roles explicit, validation and lifecycle risk fall in tandem.

Role 1 — Deterministic Rails & Clocks

• Rail hierarchy: Buck → LDO → references. Use the buck (e.g., NCP1034) to land gross power efficiently, then LDOs (NCP115, NCP140) to clean sensitive islands. References (NCV51460, TL431) anchor precision domains.
• Clock practice: Keep reference oscillators away from switching planes; document phase noise and spur maps if the PHY or ADC cares.
• Reset/boot: Version reset ordering, strap pins, and boot source priority as an artifact in your repo, not a tribal memory.

Role 2 — Clean Signal Chains

• Match full-scale and noise: a 24-bit ΣΔ front end (NAFE93352) deserves a low-drift reference (NCV51460) and zero-drift op amps (NCS21912). Guard headroom with explicit saturation policy.
• For multi-channel transients (KT1100), prove simultaneous sampling and input protection (RC, TVS if needed) at the bench across temperature.

Role 3 — Robust I/O Termination

• Industrial Ethernet via NCN26000: strap for multi-drop determinism; publish strap table in the repo. Verify p99 latency across link renegotiations and cable swaps.
• CAN via NCV7340 / NCV7344: test recessive/dominant thresholds, bus faults, and EMC with worst-case harness.
• USB via CP2102N / MCP2200 + CM1240: ESD first, then signal integrity. Keep stubs microscopic, add common-mode chokes if the enclosure sings.

Timing Contracts, Latency Budgets & Jitter Ceilings

Timing is not a suggestion; it is a contract. Treat the contract as a versioned text object with measured uncertainty and CI gates that block regressions.

Contract Anatomy (illustrative)

# Primary clocks
create_clock -name xo25 -period 40.000 [get_ports XO25_P]

# Derived clocks (example fabric)
create_generated_clock -name fabric100 -source [get_pins mmcm/CLKIN1] \
  -multiply_by 4 -divide_by 1 [get_pins mmcm/CLKOUT1]

# Jitter/uncertainty (bench derived)
set_clock_uncertainty -setup 0.120 [get_clocks fabric100]
set_clock_uncertainty -hold  0.060 [get_clocks fabric100]

Pro tip: Tag critical data paths with a cycle counter in firmware and log p50/p95/p99 latency histograms at cold/room/hot. Publish CSVs next to the bitstreams/firmware releases.