ARM Cortex-M3 Architecture Diagram

I’m preparing an educational handout on the ARM Cortex-M3 and need a clear, high-level architecture diagram that students can grasp at a glance. The graphic should capture the major functional blocks—core, NVIC, memory map, bus matrix, debug interface—without diving into register-by-register detail. Think of it as the “big picture” that introduces how everything fits together before we zoom into specifics later in class.

Please deliver the artwork digitally in both PDF and PNG so I can drop it straight into slides or printouts. If you build it in Visio, Illustrator, or another vector tool, include the editable source so I can adjust labels down the road.

Acceptance criteria
• Blocks and data paths match the ARM Technical Reference Manual at a summary level
• Text is legible on an A4 page and a 16:9 slide
• Clean, professional look suitable for classroom use

Once those points are met we’re good to go, and I’ll sign off promptly.
ARM Cortex-M3 Architecture (Block Diagram)
+-------------------------+
| ARM Cortex-M3 |
+-------------------------+
|
---------------------------------------------------
| | | |
+-------------+ +-------------+ +------------+ +-------------+
| Processor | | NVIC | | Bus | | Debug |
| Core | | (Interrupt | | Interface | | Interface |
| (ALU, Regs) | | Controller) | | (AHB/APB) | | (JTAG/SWD) |
+-------------+ +-------------+ +------------+ +-------------+
| | | |
----------------------------------------------------
|
+---------------------+
| Memory System |
| Flash, SRAM, |
| Peripheral Memory |
+---------------------+
Plain text
Explanation
1. Processor Core
The main part of the Cortex-M3.
Contains the ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit), registers, and control unit.
Executes instructions and performs arithmetic and logical operations.
Uses a 3-stage pipeline (Fetch, Decode, Execute) for faster performance.
2. NVIC (Nested Vectored Interrupt Controller)
Handles interrupts and exceptions.
Supports nested interrupts and priority levels.
Provides fast interrupt response with low latency.
3. Bus Interface
Connects the processor to memory and peripherals.
Uses the AMBA AHB-Lite bus for high-speed communication.
Connects to APB for low-speed peripherals.
4. Memory System
Includes Flash memory (program storage), SRAM (data storage), and peripheral memory.
Uses a 4 GB memory map.
5. Debug Interface
Supports JTAG and Serial Wire Debug (SWD).
Used for programming, debugging, and testing the processor.
Key Features
32-bit ARM processor
3-stage pipeline
Low power consumption
High performance
Supports Thumb-2 instruction set
Fast interrupt handling using NVIC
Memory Protection Unit (optional in some devices)
This is the standard architecture of the ARM Cortex-M3 commonly used in embedded systems and microcontroller applications.