The use of FPGAs in many applications is rapidly increasing. With the attributes of reconfigurability and design-to-working part times much faster than those of ASICs, FPGAs offer avionics engineers advantages not available in mask-programmable silicon platforms. However, SRAM-based FPGAs are susceptible to particle-induced SEUs, which make their deployment in avionics problematic. The solution to this dilemma lies in the use of both FPGAs and a structured ASIC for complete system development, with a clear migration path using a single tool flow and suite. Using an FPGA to validate an initial design and then migrating from the FPGA to a structured ASIC reduces cost, power, and system susceptibility to SEUs.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Migrating FPGAs to structured ASICs in avionics to reduce SEU susceptibility
From DSP-FPGA.com
The use of FPGAs in many applications is rapidly increasing. With the attributes of reconfigurability and design-to-working part times much faster than those of ASICs, FPGAs offer avionics engineers advantages not available in mask-programmable silicon platforms. However, SRAM-based FPGAs are susceptible to particle-induced SEUs, which make their deployment in avionics problematic. The solution to this dilemma lies in the use of both FPGAs and a structured ASIC for complete system development, with a clear migration path using a single tool flow and suite. Using an FPGA to validate an initial design and then migrating from the FPGA to a structured ASIC reduces cost, power, and system susceptibility to SEUs.
© 2026 OpenSystems Media, LLC
Products & Services
Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC)
Application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) are electronic chips designed for a particular application.
Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and Electronic Computer-aided Design Software (ECAD)
Electronic design automation (EDA) and electronic computer-aided design software (ECAD) is used to design and develop electronic systems such as printed circuit boards (PCBs) and integrated circuits (ICs).
Programmable Logic Devices (PLD)
Programmable logic devices (PLD) are designed with configurable logic and flip-flops linked together with programmable interconnect. PLDs provide specific functions, including device-to-device interfacing, data communication, signal processing, data display, timing and control operations, and almost every other function a system must perform.
IP Cores
Intellectual property (IP) cores are pre-designed, pre-tested, integrated circuits or boards of industry-standard functions that can be easily used in embedded applications. Generally IP cores are treated as intellectual property and are licensed to OEMs.
Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA)
Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have a different architecture than SPLDs and CPLDs, and typically offer higher capacities. FPGAs are also known as logic cell arrays (LCA) and programmable ASIC (pASIC).
Product Announcements
|
|
||||||
|
Topics of Interest
The use of FPGAs in many applications is rapidly increasing. With the attributes of reconfigurability and design-to-working part times much faster than those of ASICs, FPGAs offer avionics engineers...
Field Programmable Gate Arrays are given this name because they are structured very much like a gate array ASIC. Like an ASIC, the FPGA consists of a regular array of logic, an architecture that lends...
Heard on the Beat (Sept. 7) Heard on the Beat (Sept. 7) Consumer PC shipments expected to fall 9.6% this year Consumer PC shipments are now expected to decline 9.6% worldwide in 2001 versus a previous...
Figure 2.1 shows the design methodology flow for implementation of an ASIC design. Sections 3.4 to 3.12 in Chapter 3 describe the steps involved in synthesis to tapeout of an ASIC design. There is...
Bob Zeidman Field-programmable gate arrays are given this name because they are structured very much like a gate array ASIC. Like an ASIC, the FPGA consists of a regular array of logic, an...
