Define your logic functions in the morning, try the optimum implementation at noon and have your concept proven before dinner. All this is possible when you use today’s off-the-shelf programmable devices and correlative design tools.
When many functions must be bundled into a few several-thousand-gate ICs and anticipated production volume is too low for ASICs, programmable devices may again provide the solution. In either case, as the term programmable device indicates, a device programmer is usually needed to impart the required functionality into the device.
Device programmers must keep up with the semiconductor evolution. Three device-related aspects that have influenced programmer implementations are device architecture, fusing and packaging technology (see Sidebar). Other factors, such as low-power and high-density requirements, also must be considered.
“One of the hot trends in today’s electronics market is the ‘greening’ of the IC; that is, minimizing its energy consumption,” said Tim Morse, Sales Manager at Signal General. “The latest releases from semi houses include many 3.3-V ICs. These chips can be programmed at normal voltages, but the programmer must perform continuity and functional tests at 3 V. Without this, there is no way to mirror the operating environment of the ICs. This renders most current device programming hardware obsolete.”
In some cases, higher device complexity adversely affects programming time. This can be especially significant in a production environment and may require gang (multisite) programmers where single-socket units were previously adequate.
“In the past, an engineer could count on programmable logic devices (PLDs) with a fairly confined array size or gate count. These parts, which are still popular, typically program in 2 or 3 seconds, including vector test,” said Mr. Morse. “Consequently, a universal programmer that would address programmable array logic (PALs) or generic array logic (GALs) never needed more than one socket, and the existence of a gang PAL programmer was impossible to justify.
“Nowadays, more and more chip vendors are building high-density logic devices that take as many as 15 seconds to program. Some can take as much as one minute, creating the justification for a universal gang-type programmer. This says nothing of the field programmable gate array (FPGA) world where antifuse technology creates a programming situation that can take as much as 7 to 10 minutes per device,” Mr. Morse concluded.
As more programming time is required, more facilities, either individual programmers or gang setups, are needed. The cost has continued to decrease as more programmers use the PC as the controller, data downloader and result evaluator. Some programmers are connected to one of the PC ports; others exist in the form of PC plug-in cards with an external pod. In either case, several low-cost programmers are now available.
For many engineering applications, such as initial design verification, the programming time of a device is not a major issue–availability and operational ease of a device programmer are. “Low-cost programmers are highly recommended for testing the initial design,” said Rao Kalakuntla, Application Engineer at Xeltek.
Bill Lam, Sales Engineer at Link Instruments, took it one step further. “Every engineer’s desktop PC needs a PC plug-in card programmer for on-the-spot programming of EPROM/flash memory/PLD/microcontroller devices,” he said.
Many low-cost programmers provide admirable performance and are useful in the engineering as well as the production environments. It is essential, however, that these instruments use programming implementations and algorithms that meet the requirements of the device manufacturers.
“A device used in an engineering prototype that loses its data after six months may not be catastrophic,” said Bruce Rodgers, Director of Marketing at Data I/O’s Systems Business Unit. “However, a pacemaker that forgets the patient’s heart rate would probably get someone’s attention.
“If you use vanilla parts in an engineering lab, then a low-cost programmer may be a good fit. If you program complex parts in the engineering department or program any parts in a manufacturing environment, you are better off with a higher- performance machine,” Mr. Rodgers concluded.
Sidebar
How Three-Dimensional Device Evolution Affects Programmers
by Bruce Rodgers, Data I/O
Programmable devices continue to be the single largest segment of growth in the semiconductor industry, and there are no signs this will change in the next few years. Since the programmer business is ultimately driven by the programmable device business, the programmer playing field is also changing at a tremendous rate.
Activity in the programmer industry is influenced primarily by three arenas: device architecture, fusing technology and packaging technology. Figure 1 illustrates the factors which play important roles in each area.
To the engineering community, changes in the architectures of the devices themselves are important. As the evolution progressed from simple AND/OR arrays in early programmables to the programmable sea-of-gates architectures in the newest devices, applications elevated from simple decodes to advanced embedded processing tasks in very short order.
The programmer business is affected most at the front end, where the increased complexity of a device architecture drives the need for more powerful and abstract design-capture tools, such as mixed schematic and HDL input in conjunction with full timing simulation. Embedded design-flow management tools help designers deal with this increasing diversity of architectures.
The need for faster, denser interconnects is powering an evolution in fusing. The early fuse technology, where fuses were blown much like those in your car, has shrunk six orders of magnitude to the relatively diminutive RAM-based differential cells used by some vendors. This provides a very dense volatile architecture programmed on the circuit board each time the program is powered up.
In general, the changes in fusing technology have made the devices easier to program because the electrical specifications of the programming device are more and more TTL-like. However, the increasing device speeds that follow decreasing geometries create testing issues that require specialized programming hardware. Recent developments in very high density interconnects involving antifuse technologies may work to reverse this particular trend.
The evolution in device packaging is of most interest on the manufacturing floor. Dramatically increased packaging densities have been accompanied by the need for increased automation of factory tools and factory processes.
By their very nature, programmable devices pose a challenge to factory automation because of the additional processing required in the programming operation. Except in the infrequent case where in-circuit programmable techniques are used to program devices after assembly, programmables remain the only components on the circuit board that are handled twice during the assembly process.
Historically, the additional programming operation was separate from the actual assembly of the final product, usually performed by an internal programming center or handled by a device distributor. Increasing automation requires the programming step to be closer to final assembly, and it is now common to find programmers or automated programmers/handlers as an integrated part of the automated assembly line.
Device Programmer Products
Workstation Programs,
Tests Logic/Memory ICs
AllMax+ is a software-expandable universal workstation that supports a variety of programmable devices. It also tests digital ICs (TTL, CMOS) and static and dynamic memory. AllMax+ interfaces with XT, PS/2, AT, 386, 486 or laptop PCs and connects to the PC through the parallel port or via a parallel interface card. A 48 gold-pin ZIP socket programming module, a universal (100 V to 250 VAC) switching power supply, a 6-ft printer cable, an installation diskette and a manual are included. $745. Electronic Engineering Tools, Inc., (408) 734-8184.
PC Plug-In Card and Software
Support Many Device Families
The CLK-3100 Programmer is a PC-compatible card and software system that allows an IBM-compatible computer to program PALs, GALs, EPROMs, EEPROMs and microcontrollers. The card is software configurable, with selectable programming voltages extending to 25 V. Intel Hex, Motorola S Record, binary, ASCII and buffer image are among the data formats supported by the CLK-3100. It accommodates electrical and UV erasable devices from Lattice, SGS, MMI, National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, Cypress, Ricoh/Panatech, Intel, Samsung and Altera. $475. Link Instruments, Inc., (201) 808-8990.
Programmers Tailored to Meet
Hardware/Software Needs
Two new low-cost versions have joined the ChipLabTM Project Programmer line. ChipLab Memory/Micro for software/firmware engineers supports microcontrollers and most memory device including EPROMs, EEPROMs and FLASHTM EPROMs. ChipLab Logic Plus, targeted for hardware engineers, handles more than 700 PLDs, including PALs, GALs, EPLDs, MACHTM and MAX devices, FPLAs and PEELs. Logic devices from AMD, Cypress and Lattice can be programmed. Optional adapters accommodate larger (>48 pins) PLDs and memories in PLCC, SOIC, QFP and TSOP packages. ChipLab Memory/Micro–$995; ChipLab Logic Plus–$1,495. Data I/O Corp., (800) 332-8246.
Programming Workstation
Is Software Expandable
Husky-XLTM, a software-expandable device-programming workstation, supports all EPROMs and EEPROMs, including flash memories to 8 MB. Microcontrollers are programmed using optional adapters. Auto device search, auto batch execution and macro definitions facilitate programming. A self-diagnostic capability is included. Husky-XLTM supports 16-bit (40-pin) EEPROMs; Mirochip PIC 16C5x, NS COP, AMD and Intel 87C51/87C52 series; and Signetics 87C751/87C752 microcontrollers. Free lifetime software updates/technical support are provided via the company’s BBL. $299. Logical Devices Inc., (800) 315-7766.
Universal Programmer Supports
More Than 2,000 Devices
The Superpro II/EM PC-Based Universal Programmer handles more than 2,000 devices, including EEPROMs and flash EPROMs (up to 8 MB). It accommodates many microcontrollers, such as Intel 87XX, Motorola 68HCXXX, 68XXX, Signetics 87XXX, Microchip PIC, National COP, Zilog, Hitachi and AMD 87XXX. The Superpro II/EM also programs PALs and GALs, such as the 16V8, 20V8, 22V10, PLD, EPLD and MACH series. Functional tests are performed on logic ICs and memory devices. Macro and batch functions automate programming via single keystroke control. $499. Xeltek, (408) 524-1932.
Hand-Held Programmer Can Be
Configured as ROM Simulator
The ET-SEPROG is a hand-held EEPROM programmer for EPROM-based microcontrollers and EPLDs, and is PC-controlled through a serial RS-232-C interface. It can also be configured as a ROM simulator. It accommodates many devices, such as N-, H- and C-MOS EPROMs from 2 kb x 8 to 8 Mb x 8 (byte-wide and word-wide) and EEPROMs from 8 kb x 8 to 32 kb x 8. Using special adapters, EPLDs or microcontrollers from Intel, Signetics, Philips and Zilog can be programmed. The user interface is menu driven with pop-up windows. Setups can be saved to disk. $695. Emulation Technology, Inc., (408) 982-0660.
Universal Programmer
Tests 3-V Devices
The Turpro-1/TX, an enhanced model of the Turpro-1/FX Programmer, uses universal pin-driven technology and accommodates all programmable logic and memory devices. It performs DC parametric tests as well as leakage tests for assessing ESD or pin damage. Handler programming for high-volume production applications is provided. Armed with flexible hardware with programmable parameters, Turpro-1/TX programs 3-V devices or future devices requiring even lower voltages. $1,995. System General Corp., (408) 263-6667.
Low-Cost Unit Upgradable
To Universal Programmer
The BP-1148 programmer is based on the platform of the BP-1200 but is provided with customer-selected algorithms. It supports EPROMs, flash EEPROMs, microcontrollers and PLDs; has a 48-pin DIP socket; and connects to the parallel printer port of any PC. Support for thousands of devices, including free algorithms updates, is included in the base price. The BP-1148 is upgradable to the BP-1200, which accommodates more than 7,000 devices and up to 240 pin drivers. $1,795. BP Microsystems, Inc., (713) 688-4600.
Production Programmer Supports
Devices and PCMCIA Cards
The M4016 programs devices and PCMCIA cards, and performs in-circuit programming for custom memory cards. Various devices and cards are accommodated via adapters, which typically contain four device/card sockets. Current adapters support 8- and 16-bit EPROMs, 8-Mbit EPROMs (42 and 48 pins), EEPROMs, flash EPROMs, the 8751 microcomputer family and PCMCIA cards. Scrambler sockets are available for PLCC and SOP devices. Editing is facilitated by a hexadecimal keyboard and a backlit LCD. Software operates under both DOS and MS-Windows. M4016–from $10,000; M4008 (8 sockets)–$6,000. International Microsystems Inc., (408) 942-1001.
Copyright 1995 Nelson Publishing Inc.
April 1995