Field-Programmable Gate Arrays: Reconfigurable Logic for Rapid Prototyping and Implementation of Digital Systems

7.2   THE PIONEERS

An idea for a FPGA as distinct from the programmable logic device (PLD) was developed by Ross Freeman, an engineer with Zilog, Inc., a small semiconductor-chip-making subsidiary of Exxon Corporation. Freeman’s idea was not warmly received by the executives of the parent company and as a result three individuals, Bernard Vonderschmitt, Ross Freeman, and James Barnett left Zilog, raised $4.25 million in venture capital from Hambrecht & Quist and Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, among others, to form Xilinx, Inc., in 1984. The previous year, Altera Corporation was founded to provide fuse-programmable alternatives to mask-programmable gate arrays, and was first in the market. However, Xilinx’s patented static-random-access-memory-based (SRAM) FPGA architecture was a more radical development and soon outpaced the Altera product. At the same time, two additional companies were founded: Atmel Corporation (1984) and Actel Corporation (1985), both manufacturers of programmable semiconductor components. Atmel Corporation designs and manufactures PLDs and FPGAs, as well as mask-programmable gate arrays. Actel Corporation became the leader in the development of FPGAs based on antifuse switching elements. In 1994 Actel was the world’s leading antifuse FPGA producer and held number two market position in FPGAs, just behind Xilinx.

FPGAs were originally introduced to the marketplace by start-up companies rather than established semiconductor suppliers. This was consistent ...