Actel FPGAs for Hi‐Rel and space applications

Describes Actel’s programmable technology. Early adopters of this technology, in both Europe and North America in experimental and telecommunication space programmes used these field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) very successfully. Owing to the success of these early adopters, Actel transferred its technology to a radiation hardened wafer fab and now offers a rad hard version of its commercial product, serving the needs of the traditional government end use space market and long lifetime missions. Since the introduction of the rad hard FPGAs the industry has undergone major shifts in attitudes. While there is still a significant demand for radiation hardened devices, lower cost alternatives with a lower level of radiation tolerance are expected to exist in the majority of space programmes.