26.1 Overview

The Universal Synchronous and Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter (USART) is one of the available modes in the Serial Communication Interface (SERCOM).

The USART uses the SERCOM transmitter and receiver, see Block Diagram. Labels in uppercase letters are synchronous to CLK_SERCOMx_APB and accessible for CPU. Labels in lowercase letters can be programmed to run on the internal generic clock or an external clock.

The transmitter consists of a single write buffer, a shift register, and control logic for different frame formats. The write buffer support data transmission without any delay between frames. The receiver consists of a two-level receive buffer and a shift register. Status information of the received data is available for error checking. Data and clock recovery units ensure robust synchronization and noise filtering during asynchronous data reception.