The latest members of the low-power, low-density FPGA product line feature instant-on with 896 to 9400 look-up tables.
Lattice Semiconductor recently launched the newest logic family in its low-complexity, low-power Mach field-programmable gate array (FPGA) line. The MachXO4 features variants with look-up table (LUT) counts from 896 to 9400, with the smallest package variant measuring only 2.5 mm x 2.5 mm.
Lattice introduces the new MachXO4 FPGA family.
Lattice designed the family for implementation in bridge logic in a wide variety of applications. The small size, low power consumption, and instant-on capability mean that programmable logic can now find a home in consumer electronics, industrial control, automotive systems, communications, and computing systems.
First-On, Last-Off Capability
Many traditional FPGAs must load the logic configuration at power-up from a serial EEPROM. This either makes the device slow to power up or requires an MCU to turn on while the FPGA is loading. The turn-on delay or co-processor requirement makes FPGAs challenging to implement in many consumer and commercial devices. Even in industrial, automotive, and communications systems, the need to power down and power back up quickly invalidates many traditional FPGA models. The MachXO4 is designed with such flexibility in mind.
The Lattice MachXO4 devices (link downloads datasheet) use non-volatile memory within the FPGA fabric, along with hot-socketing capability. This means that the FPGA logic can operate immediately upon power-on. The hot-socketing capability provides the FPGA with the robustness necessary to operate in an environment where cards or USB devices may be plugged in or unplugged while the power is on. Further, the instant-on capability and ability to operate independently allow the MachXO4 device to handle much of the I/O and interface while the power-hungry components of the system remain unpowered.
Block diagram of MachXO4 I/O capability.
The MachXO4 family specifically addresses several customer requests for FPGA deployment. It has hot-socket leakage current as low as 350 μA. Lattice's inclusion of the hot-socket capability recognizes that many devices now come with USB ports and optional modules that must connect or disconnect without interrupting device operation.
Further, the FPGA has dual-boot capability and can transfer bitstreams between external and internal memory while the device is operating. This enables convenient, safe field upgrades, even over the air. The chip's small size allows the MachXO4 to find a home in many devices where prior FPGAs were just too big or too difficult to integrate.
Other Key Features of MachXO4
The MachXO4 family offers 64 kb to 432 kb of embedded block memory (EBR) and up to 54 kb of distributed RAM. It includes user flash memory of up to 448 kbits, supporting 100,000 write/erase cycles for commercial and industrial variants and 10,000 cycles for automotive variants.
Supported interfaces include LVCMOS (at 3.3, 2.5, 1.8, 1.5, 1.2, and 1.0 V) as well as LVTTL, LVDS, Bus-LVDS, MLVDS, LVPECL, MIPI D-PHY emulation, and Schmitt trigger inputs with up to 0.5-V hysteresis. The device provides up to 382 GPIOs and features eight primary clocks driven by an oscillator with 5.5% accuracy for commercial and industrial grades, supporting input frequencies from 7 MHz to 400 MHz.
MachXO4 LFMXO4-050 architecture top view. (Datasheet pg. 13)
Latttice optimized the FPGAs for low power consumption and implementation flexibility; they power on and are ready to run within milliseconds using NVM-based fabric. They support optional dual-boot capability with external SPI memory. The family supports field-upgradeable logic, while I/Os maintain system state via TransFR reconfiguration. Flash download times range from 1.9 ms to 5.3 ms, depending on LUT count. The device operates at either 1.2 V or 2.5 V/3.3 V and is backed by a 20-year supply chain support promise.
Toolchain
The MachXO4 is supported by the Lattice Radiant integrated development, debug, and simulation environment (IDE). Lattice offers Radiant under various licensing options. The MachXO4 devices can utilize the free license tier for development, including bitstream creation and use. Paid subscription tiers are available for more comprehensive product line support. Radiant can be used for modular, wizard-based, and legacy text-based development. The toolchain supports VHDL-1993, VHDL-2008, Verilog, and SystemVerilog, including mixed-language development.
All images used courtesy of Lattice Semiconductor.
