FPGA is smaller than a kernel of corn

Complementing their existing portfolio of small 8mm x 8mm and 5mm x 5mm packages, the folks at Actel are now offering their low-power 5?W IGLOO FPGAs in a 4mm x 4mm package with a 0.4mm ball pitch, which they claim is the smallest package for any programmable logic device on the market.

Smaller than a kernel of corn, the new IGLOO FPGAs are targeted at power-sensitive, space-constrained handheld devices such as smart phones, portable media players, secure mobile communications devices, remote sensors, security cameras and portable medical devices.

The first device to be offered in the 4mm 4mm package will be the 30,000-gate IGLOO AGL030 device. The 4mm x 4mm devices feature on-board flash memory, 66 user I/Os and over 192 equivalent macrocells. IGLOO supports unique low-power states, such as Actel's innovative Flash*Freeze mode, which stops the clocks, puts the I/Os into a known state, and reduces power while preserving the state of SRAM and registers. IGLOO devices enter and exit Flash*Freeze mode within 1?s under the control of a single pin, allowing for significant system power savings to be quickly and easily achieved.

The IGLOO AGL030 device in a 4mm x 4mm package will sample in December, with mass production slated for Q1 08. Pricing will start at $1.50 in volume quantities.

- Clive Maxfield
Programmable Logic DesignLine