Raises the Bar for Low-Power FPGAs In High-Reliability Automotive
Applications
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Giving
automotive manufacturers the confidence they need to embed
field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in system-critical automotive
applications, Actel Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTL) today announced it has
received ISO/TS 16949:2002 certification. When combined with AEC-Q100 Grade
1 and Grade 2 qualification of its ProASIC(R)3 devices and the company's
Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) documentation, the new
certification ensures that customers can deploy the highest grade
automotive low-power FPGA product on the market and confirms that the
company's design, development and production procedures meet the standard's
strict guidelines.
"Certification is a mandatory requirement for doing business with the
majority of automotive manufacturers," said Terry Pence, senior manager,
high- reliability product marketing, for Actel. "This important ISO
certification ensures that our quality management system follows best
practices for the automotive industry and provides a process for continual
improvement. By satisfying the automotive industry's stringent
requirements, we ensure that our products are well-suited for the extreme
conditions presented by under- the-hood, safety and body electronics
applications."
Actel FPGAs: Designed for Reliability
Actel's flash-based FPGA devices offer the industry's lowest power and
critical firm error immunity levels not achieved by SRAM-based solutions.
This allows a wide variety of transportation vehicles -- from standard
automobiles to trucks and locomotives -- to leverage the flexibility,
performance and overall lower program costs of using FPGAs in
high-reliability applications. To date, more than 70 percent of the
company's automotive-grade, flash-based devices are used in
"under-the-hood" applications such as powertrain, safety and transmission
control modules.
Last year, Actel announced that the ProASIC3 family was the first to
achieve AEC-Q100 Grade 1 and Grade 2 qualification, making them the first
FPGAs to achieve this quality level. Qualification verifies that ProASIC3
devices can operate in extended junction temperature ranges (-40 to +135
degrees C). Ultra low static power of 40 mA at 135 degrees C enables the
devices to endure extreme temperatures for longer periods of time without
thermal reliability or runaway concerns.
The ProASIC3 family also uniquely features on-chip flash memory for
FPGA switch control, making them immune to neutron-induced firm errors
which can cause configuration upsets -- a mandatory requirement in an
industry driving toward zero defects. Actel's automotive-grade products
therefore provide the first viable alternative to complex and costly
application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) technology in under-the-hood
applications.
About Actel
Attacking power consumption from both the chip and the system levels,
Actel Corporation's innovative FPGAs and programmable system chip solutions
enable power-efficient design. The company is traded on the NASDAQ National
Market under the symbol ACTL and is headquartered at 2061 Stierlin Court,
Mountain View, Calif., 94043-4655. For more information about Actel, visit
http://www.actel.com.
The Actel name and logo, and ProASIC name and logo are trademarks of
Actel Corporation. All other trademarks and service marks are the property
of their respective owners.
SOURCE Actel Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.actel.com
CONTACT:
Stephanie Mrus of Actel Corporation,
+1-650-318-4614, stephanie.mrus@actel.com; or Diane Orr of Orr &
Company, +1-408-358-1617, diane@orr-co.com, for Actel Corporation
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