Clear Logic Adds Three New LASIC Devices for No-NRE ASIC Conversions of Altera FLEX 8000 FPGAs.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 1998--Clear Logic today introduced three new CL8000 LASIC devices for the ASIC-conversion of Altera (NASDAQ: ALTR) FLEX 8000 FPGAs.

The new laser-configured devices are: the 8,000 gate CL8820A, the 12,000 gate CL81188A, and the 2,500 gate CL8282A. All three devices will accept designs directly from FLEX 8000 bitstreams, with absolutely no re-design, resynthesis, NRE charges or customer-side test vector generation. Prototypes are available within two weeks and production quantities are available within four weeks.

Earlier this year, Clear Logic introduced CL8000 LASIC devices for the ASIC conversion of EPF8452A and EPF8636A designs. The newly introduced devices complete Clear Logic*s coverage of the FLEX 8000 family.

CL8000 LASICs differ from conventional ASICs in that they are architected specifically to accept FLEX 8000 designs. Unlike gate arrays, LASIC devices have coarse-grained logic elements that support the high-level logic implemented in FLEX 8000 FPGAs. Each logic element has a 4-input look-up table and the logic elements are arranged in Logic Building Blocks that maintain the routing, functionality, relative timing, and pin-out of the original FLEX 8000 design. Since the CL8000 architecture supports the same high level logic as a FLEX 8000 device, the ASIC conversion can be accomplished directly from the FPGA bitstream. There is no need to revert to a VHDL or Verilog description, to re-simulate, or to re-synthesize the design.

Clear Logic automatically converts each customer bitstream to laser configuration instructions and also generates test vectors with 100% fault coverage at the factory, in about an hour. No customer effort is required.

Don Knowlton, Clear Logic's vice president of marketing, said, "Basically, we are offering engineers a cost-free, painless, quick and easy means of achieving the flexibility and quick-time-to-market benefits of using FPGAs, while also getting the lower costs and power drain of ASICs. Engineers like using FPGAs because of their flexibility and quick design cycle. But they usually don't like the high cost and power consumption associated with them.

"We are offering the best of both worlds. The only thing the customer engineer has to do is give us his bitstream file or a programmed configuration EPROM. Within two weeks, we'll send him a LASIC that has functionality, timing and pin-out that are identical to the original Altera design. The LASIC device will be fully factory-tested with 100% fault coverage, unlike most ASICs. In fact, the only difference will be that the LASIC implementation costs 20% to 50% less than the FLEX 8000 device and consumes about 1/3 less power," Knowlton emphasized.

New Technologies Enable Clear Logic Conversion - Clear Logic developed several new technologies to achieve its hands-off, no-NRE, two-week FPGA-to-ASIC conversion: a new ASIC architecture, TestCell embedded test circuitry, ClearShot bitstream extraction process, NoFault automatic test vector generation process, and ClearFire laser configuration technology.

LASIC Architecture Eliminates Re-design or Resimulation - Clear Logic's LASIC devices have a unique, laser-configured ASIC architecture that allows the FPGA bitstream to be used directly for conversion. In order to eliminate the complete re-design required for conventional gate arrays, Clear Logic developed an architecture that is specifically designed to support FLEX 8000 bitstreams. LASIC devices have coarse-grained logic elements that include a four-input look-up table, register,cascade logic and fast-carry logic that serve the same functions as those in a FLEX 8000 FPGA. CL8000 logic elements are arranged in Logic Building Blocks that are functionally similar to Altera's Logic Array Blocks (LABs). And CL8000 devices include express interconnect busses between LBBs that serve a similar purpose to Altera's FastTrack. Since the CL8000 architecture supports the same coarse-grained logic as the FLEX 8000 architecture, the FLEX 8000 bitstreams can be directly converted to a LASIC implementation without any re-design or re-synthesis.

TestCell Embedded Test Circuitry - The Clear Logic architecture also contains embedded test circuitry so that test vectors with 100% fault coverage can be automatically generated, completely relieving the customer engineer of this task.

ClearShot Automatic Bitstream Conversion Process - The ClearShot bitstream conversion process automatically converts Altera FLEX 8000 bitstreams to LASIC laser configuration instructions in less than an hour.

NoFault Test Automated Vector Generation Process - During bitstream extraction, the NoFault tool automatically generates test vectors, based on the bitstream, that work with the TestCell circuitry to achieve with 100% fault coverage.

ClearFire Laser Configuration - Clear Logic's patented ClearFire laser configuration makes possible the two-week prototype and four-week turn-around for production volume. There is absolutely no customer-side engineering in the automated Clear Logic FPGA-to-ASIC conversion process.

"Clear Logic's CL8000 family LASIC devices provide Altera FLEX 8000 users the low cost, low power drain benefits of ASICs while eliminating all the financial and engineering obstacles," Knowlton explained. "We've eliminated the three to four month lead times. We've eliminated NRE charges that can run well over $20,000. We've eliminated huge minimum ASIC-order quantities of thousands of units. These issues just don't exist with Clear Logic.

"Customer engineers are completely freed of the need to generate test vectors or re-design and re-simulate. Essentially, we are giving engineers the best of the FPGA and the ASIC worlds with none of the downsides of either option. With these three new devices, virtually every FLEX 8000 design can benefit from LASIC conversion," Knowlton concluded.

Pricing and Availability - The 8,000 gate CL8820A, the 12,000 gate CL81188A, and the 2,500 gate CL8282A are available immediately in all Altera FLEX 8000 production packages and speed selections. Prototypes are available within two weeks. Typical prices for 500 unit quantities follow: CL8820ATC144-4 - $16.15; CL81188AQC208-4 - $21.00; CL8282ALC84-4 - $4.95.

Product Road Map - Clear Logic plans to develop additional LASIC architectures that support other Altera families during 1998 and 1999.

Clear Logic, Inc. was founded in 1996 to offer a no-NRE, quick turn-around cost reduction path for designs that have been implemented using FPGAs from Altera. The company employs proprietary software that extracts the bitstream from the FPGA design and, utilizing laser technology, converts it to a "hard-wired" device. Clear Logic has none of the NRE charges or minimum order sizes that are associated with masked-ASICs. Designers are not required to develop test vectors and, due to Clear Logic's unique process, Clear Logic devices are guaranteed to function identically to their programmable counterparts with no timing problems.

Clear Logic is privately held. Integrated Device Technology, Inc (NASDAQ: IDTI) is a major investor.

Altera and FLEX are registered trademarks of Altera Corporation. FastTrack is a trademark of Altera Corporation. Clear Logic, the Clear Logic logo, LASIC, ClearFire, ClearShot, TestCell and NoFault are trademarks of Clear Logic, Inc.