Laser Processed Logic Devices Replace CPLDs

Announced as a 3.3V CL7000A family of pin-compatible replacements for the Altera MAX 7000A CPLDs, CL7000A laser processed logic devices (LPLDs) function identically to the MAX 7000A devices and can directly accept MAX 7000A programming files without modification. Fifty percent smaller in die size compared with the MAX 7000A CPLDs, Clear Logic is able to price its products 20% to 70% less than the MAX 7000A devices. This smaller die size is achieved by use of an innovative LPLD architecture. The CL7000As are factory-configured, eliminating all of the transistors associated with field programming. Clear Logic uses only one transistor per product term AND array input, whereas the MAX 7000A AND array uses an EEPROM-based circuit with six transistors to configure each input term. Family members include 128 to 512 macrocells.