1 – ACT 2 Family Overview
General Description
The ACT 2 family represents Actel’s second generation of field programmable gate arrays
(FPGAs). The ACT 2 family presents a two-module architecture, consisting of C-modules and S-
modules. These modules are optimized for both combinatorial and sequential designs. Based on Actel’s
patented channeled array architecture, the ACT 2 family provides significant enhancements to gate
density and performance while maintaining downward compatibility with the ACT 1 design environment
and upward compatibility with the ACT 3 design environment. The devices are implemented in silicon
gate, 1.0-μm, two-level metal CMOS, and employ Actel’s PLICE® antifuse technology. This revolutionary
architecture offers gate array design flexibility, high performance, and fast time-to-production with user
programming. The ACT 2 family is supported by the Designer and Designer Advantage Systems, which
offers automatic pin assignment, validation of electrical and design rules, automatic placement and
routing, timing analysis, user programming, and diagnostic probe capabilities. The systems are
supported on the following platforms: 386/486™ PC, Sun™, and HP™ workstations. The systems
®
provide CAE interfaces to the following design environments: Cadence, Viewlogic®, Mentor Graphics ,
and OrCAD™.
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