Through CML, customers gain access to leading edge technologies and a design team with extensive expertise in integrated circuit design especially: Analogue, Digital, Mixed Signal and Memory.
Technologies available are state-of-the art processes and geometries, including: CMOS,
BiCMOS, BiPOLAR and SiGe.
Extensive custom cell libraries are available offering: logic, analogue/mixed signal,
digital; including memory, µcontroller RISC/DSP and IP cores.
Routes to Market
Two basic custom product development path are available:
- Full Custom ASIC
- CML's Proprietary Technology - FirmASIC®
Custom ASIC
CML offers a fast and competitve ASIC design Service, with ground-up design or a project
based on CML's vast design library resource.
FirmASIC®
This CML proprietary technology enables the lowest overall cost, fastest time-to-market,
lowest risk and provides unsurpassed flexibility.
FirmASIC® technology opens up completely new opportunities for
deployment in the ASIC, structured ASIC, FPGA and DSP replacement markets, and is not
confined to just high-quantity applications.
FirmASIC® provides the optimum combination of analogue, digital,
firmware and memory technologies in a single silicon platform. A family of approved,
stable hardware platforms is available, each providing a different mix of fixed and re-
definable functions.
The FirmASIC® approach focuses on delivering the right feature mix,
performance and cost for the target application.
FirmASIC® products can be offered in very-small-outline surface-mount
packages and operating over the temperature range: -40°C to +85°C.
The FirmASIC® path can be further sub-divided to provide semi- custom and full-custom product offerings, providing a completely new approach for system designers.
FirmASIC® Semi-custom
The route utilises available FirmASIC® hardware platforms and
requires a Function Image™ (FI) data file to be uploaded to the device during
device initialisation. The Function Image™ data file configures on-chip sub-systems
to determine the specific end-product function and specification.
The Function Image™ data file can be held in the host µcontroller Flash memory or
in a serial Flash memory attached to the FirmASIC® device.
The advantages of this route include:
- No silicon hardware development required
- A Function Image™ can be provided at the earliest opportunity to allow customer evaluation
- A Function Image™ can be modified and adapted based on the customer's evaluation through to approval processes
- Provides the lowest risk
- fastest evaluation samples and production devices
- Custom marking available
- Future-proof design approach
New Function Images™ may be later provided to supplement and enhance device functions, expanding or modifying end-product features without the need for expensive time-consuming design changes - System-on-chip (SoC) possibilities
- This route can be used as a stepping-stone to a full custom device
FirmASIC® Custom
This is an advancement on the semi-custom route that is ideally suited to larger
quantity opportunities.
Once the product function is fully approved following the semi-custom route, the Function
Image™ can be embedded on-chip therefeore, eliminating the need for any external
Flash memory. This route provides the ultimate security of interlectual property and
products can be labelled with customer-specific markings.
FirmASIC® Platforms and Function Modules
Silicon-based hardware configurations are available to address the needs of audio and
signal processing applications.
The diagram below shows a typical FirmASIC® hardware platform.
Note that not all functions are included on every available platform.
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Your ASIC Requirements
To obtain budgetary estimates and/or quotations from CML for all your ASIC requirements,
please contact:
marketing@cmlmicro.com.
