Lattice Semiconductor has recently launched the MachXO4 low-power FPGA family featuring 896 to 9400 LUTs, fabric performance of up to 150 MHz, and improved “hot socketing” with a low leakage current of 350 μA.
Other features include up to 432 kb embedded RAM, 73 kb distributed RAM, 448 kb User Flash Memory (UFM), up to 382 I/Os, hardened SPI and I2C interfaces, a wide range of packages from 2.5×2.5mm to 20 x 20 mm, and three temperature grades (consumer, industrial, and automotive).
Lattice Semi MachXO4 key features and specifications:
- FPGA Fabric
- 896 to 9400 LUTs
- 1,100 to 11,300 logic cells
- Up to 150 MHz operation
- Memory
- Embedded RAM – 64 kb to 432 kb
- Distributed RAM – 10 kb to 73 kb
- Storage – 64 to 448 kb User Flash Memory (UFM)
- I/O and peripherals
- Up to 382 I/O pins
- 1x Phased Lock Loop (PLL)
- Hardened functions: SPI, 2x I2C, timer/counter, and oscillator
- Supports 3.3V – 1.0V I/O standards
- Other features
- Hot socketing with low leakage current of 350 μA and no power supply sequencing
- Mixed voltage support for LVCMOS and LVTTL
- Default pulldown resistors to minimize external components
- Instant-on power-up with fast boot time of less than 5 ms
- Power Consumption – As low as 1 mW of static power
- Packages – As small as 2.5 x 2.5 mm
- 0.4 mm pitch
- UUG3611 (36-ball WLCSP, 2.5 x 2.5 mm,27 I/Os)
- UUG4911 (49-ball WLCSP, 3.2 x 3.2 mm, 37 I/Os)
- UUG8111 (81-ball WLCSP, 3.8 x 3.8 mm, 62 I/Os)
- 0.5 mm pitch
- TSG100 (100-pin TQFP, 14 x 14 mm, 78 I/Os) – Automotive grade only
- BSG132 (132-ball csBGA, 8 x 8 mm, 102 I/Os) – Automotive grade only
- TSG144 (144-pin TQFP, 20 x 20 mm, 105 to 112 I/Os)
- 0.8 mm pitch
- BBG256 (256-ball caBGA, 14 x 14 mm, 204 I/Os) – Automotive grade only
- BBG400 (400-ball caBGA, 17 x 17 mm, 333 I/Os)
- BBG484 (484-ball caBGA, 19 x 19 mm, 382 I/Os)
- 1 mm pitch – BFG256 (256-ball ftBGA, 17 x 17 mm, 204 I/Os)
- 0.4 mm pitch
- Temperature Range – Available in Commercial, Industrial, and Automotive grades
- Manufacturing Process – 65 nm non-volatile low-power process
Six SKUs are available with different numbers of logic cells, RAM/flash capacities, and temperature grades, as described in the table above: LFMX04-010, LFMX04-010, LFMX04-015, LFMX04-025, LFMX04-080, and LFMX04-110.
The announcement blog highlights four features and improvements for the new MachXO4 family:
- Improved Hot Socketing with a leakage current as low as 350 μA. Reliable hot socketing ensures that devices can safely handle power sequencing mismatches without risk of damage or data loss when cards are physically plugged or unplugged during operation, or when modules are added while selected portions of the system are powered up or down independently. This is especially useful for industrial, communications, and automotive applications where uptime is critical.
- In-field System Reconfiguration using dual boot flash memory and TransFR technology while the system continues to operate.
- Longevity – Long-term supply chain support of over 20 years.
- High-density integration for space-constrained applications
- High logic density and small package options (as low as 2.5×2.5mm WLCSP)
- Integrated hardened features like I2C, SPI, timer/counter, PLL, and an on-chip oscillator
The new MachXO4 FPGA family is fully supported in Lattice Radiant design software, contrary to its predecessors – the MachXO2 and MachXO3 families – which rely on the Diamond Lattice software. So the company also provides a Migration Tool to help with the transition of earlier Diamond designs to the new Radiant platform.
The MachXO4 development board is also available to evaluate and quickly get started with the new FPGA family. It’s based on the LFMXO4-110 FPGA device coupled with a 16 Mbit SPI boot flash, and offers multiple reference clock sources, GPIO headers compatible with Arduino and Raspberry Pi boards for prototyping, two Hirose FX12-40 header positions (DNI), and an Aardvark header (DNI) for additional connectivity options.
Typical use cases include system board management requiring instant-on (<5ms) and a high I/O count, motor control with IGBT protection and SPI interface, camera display bridging using up to four CSI-2 lanes and DSI Tx, and LED control leveraging programmable I/Os and the PLL for dimming, blinking, and color mixing.
I could not find pricing information about the MachXO4 FPGA devices, but the development board is offered on Newark for $345.80 (including duties and tariffs) and Mouser Germany for 233,45 €. Additional details, including documentation and design resources, can be found on the product page.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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