What is bit-banding in ARM Cortex-M processors?

Bit-banding maps each bit in a memory region to a full word in an alias region, enabling atomic single-bit operations without read-modify-write sequences. Formula: bit_word_addr = bit_band_base + (byte_offset*32) + (bit_number*4). Available in SRAM and peripheral regions on Cortex-M3/M4. Benefits: Atomic bit operations (important for flags accessed by main code and ISR), simplified bit manipulation code, and interrupt-safe operations. Not available on all Cortex-M variants (absent in Cortex-M0). Alternative atomic operations use exclusive access instructions (LDREX/STREX).