Zctel ACT 1 Series FPGAs

Category: Electronics, Microsemi Corp, Programmable Logic ICS

Overview

The ACT 1 Series FPGAs by Zctel are high-performance field-programmable gate arrays that provide a flexible and instant turnaround for user programming. Offering compatibility with 5V and 3.3V families, these FPGAs are compliant with JEDEC specifications and bring versatility to system design with their extensive feature set.

Features

The series includes devices with capacity ranging from 1,200 to 2,000 gate array equivalent gates and from 3,000 to 6,000 PLD equivalent gates. These FPGAs can replace up to 50 TTL packages and 20 twenty-pin PAL packages, reducing the number of components needed on a system board. They also contain up to 547 programmable logic modules and up to 273 flip-flops, supporting data rates up to 75 MHz.

Key Capabilities

Equipped with Actel’s PLICE^® antifuse technology, the ACT 1 FPGAs boast a gate array architecture that allows for completely automatic place and route, enabling efficient design implementation. The architecture provides nearly full device utilization (95 to 100 percent) of available logic modules. A high-speed on-chip clock distribution network minimizes skew, and the devices can handle I/O drive levels of 10 mA for 5V and 6 mA for 3.3V systems.

For security purposes, a programmable security fuse is available to protect designs from being copied or reverse engineered. Diagnostic probe pins are included for in-circuit testing and speed analysis up to 25 MHz.

Device Variants and Packaging

The product family includes devices A1O10B, A1O20B, A10V10B, and A10V20B. The packaging options cater to a wide range of applications, offering 44-pin PLCC, 68-pin PLCC, 84-pin PLCC, 100-pin PQFP, 80-pin VQFP, 84-pin CPGA, and 84-pin CQFP formats.

Design Support Systems

Actel’s Designer and Designer Advantage Systems provide comprehensive support for the ACT 1 device family. These systems facilitate design steps from schematic capture to simulation, automatic placement and routing, and timing verification. Device programming is also simplified through these supportive environments. Integration with Microsoft^® Windows and graphical user interfaces enhances usability. The addition of the ACTmap VHDL optimization and synthesis tool, along with the ACTgen Macro Builder, allows designers to generate macros for a variety of structural blocks including counters and adders.

Performance

The series delivers a maximum data rate of 75 MHz at 5V and 55 MHz at 3.3V. Specific package availability is detailed in the Product Plan provided in the datasheet.

Conclusion

Released in April 1996 by Actel Corporation, the ACT 1 Series FPGAs offer a robust solution for system designers seeking high performance, flexibility, and ease of use in customizable integrated circuits, with a significant emphasis on security and diagnostic features.