Gate array: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:33, 24 October 2009

Revision as of 08:36, 24 October 2009

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'''[[Sinclair Research]]''' ported an enhanced [[Sinclair ZX80|ZX80]] design to a ULA chip for the [[Sinclair ZX81|ZX81]], and later used a ULA in the [[ZX Spectrum]]. A compatible chip was made in Russia as T34VG1.<ref>[[:ru:Т34ВГ1|Т34ВГ1]] — article about the ZX Spectrum ULA compatible chip {{ru icon}}</ref> '''[[Acorn Computers]]''' used several ULA chips in the [[BBC Micro]], and later managed to compress almost all of that machine's logic into a single ULA for the [[Acorn Electron]]. Many other manufacturers from the time of the [[home computer]] boom period used ULAs in their machines. '''[[Ferranti]]''' in the UK pioneered ULA technology, then later abandoned this lead in semi-custom chips. The [[IBM PC]] took over the computer market, and the sales volumes made full-custom chips more economical.

Designers still wished for a way to create their own complex chips without the expense of full-custom design, and eventually this wish was granted with the arrival of the '''[[field-programmable gate array]]''' (FPGA), '''[[complex programmable logic device]]''' (CPLD), and '''[[Structured ASIC]]'''. Whereas a ULA required a semiconductor wafer foundry to deposit and etch the interconnections, the FPGA and CPLD had programmable interconnections.

==See also==