Field programmable gate arrays: An overview

Abstract

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are semiconductor devices that contain logic components connected by a regular, hierarchical programmable interconnect system. The distinguishing characteristic of FPGAs is their on-filed programmability which allows the logic functionality of an FPGA to be re-programmed even after the manufacturing process. FPGAs are used for rapid prototyping of digital circuits. The design and test of digital systems are time efficient and cost-effective with FPGAs. The logic components in the FPGA mostly consists of memory elements such as registers or even complete blocks of memory that can be configured to hold any desired state. The hierarchical interconnect system is also programmable which allows the logic components to be connected in a variety of network configurations. Therefore the re-programmability of FPGAs is achieved by a fixed underlying architecture, which does not cater to any particular logic circuit. This lets FPGAs have a lower non-recurring cost, shorter design cycle and enables them to be reprogrammed in the field to circumvent manufacturing defects. This chapter discuses about the FPGA building blocks and how they are interconnected to form a flexible digital prototyping and design platform.