Frequently Asked Questions
Download Arrix FPOA Overview
4 Page FPOA overview that includes: architecture information, algorithm support, development system, design flow and target applications.
4. What is the difference between a structural ASIC and an FPOA?
Structural ASIC is a recent trend in the semiconductor world. The general idea is to reduce the design time and mask costs by reducing the number of mask levels for the customization step. ViASIC's ViaMask technology requires a single mask layer only, and LSI's RapidChip requires four mask layers for its gate array routing. The general technology still requires some kind of placement and routing, and timing closure. These are inherently the most time consuming tasks and the tools are some of the most expensive. Finally, as with ASICs, once a design has been taped out, any changes require a re-spin. The structured ASIC approach suffers from the same long TTM and high NRE costs of the ASIC world, yet does not offer the same performance and power benefits of ASICs. This is why more and more designers are choosing re-programmable platforms (FPGA, FPOA, etc.). Download Arrix FPOA Architecture Guide
