1 – Fusion Device Family Overview
Introduction
The Actel MicroBlade-based Fusion® mixed-signal FPGA satisfies the demand from system
architects for a device that simplifies design and unleashes their creativity. As the world’s first
mixed-signal programmable logic family, MicroBlade-based Fusion integrates mixed-signal
analog, flash memory, and FPGA fabric in a monolithic device. Actel MicroBlade-based Fusion
devices enable designers to quickly move from concept to completed design and then deliver
feature-rich systems to market. This new technology takes advantage of the unique properties of
Actel flash-based FPGAs, including a high-isolation, triple-well process and the ability to support
high-voltage transistors to meet the demanding requirements of mixed-signal system design.
Actel Fusion mixed-signal FPGAs bring the benefits of programmable logic to many application
areas, including power management, smart battery charging, clock generation and management,
and motor control. Until now, these applications have only been implemented with costly and
space-consuming discrete analog components or mixed-signal ASIC solutions. Actel Fusion mixed-
signal FPGAs present new capabilities for system development by allowing designers to integrate a
wide range of functionality into a single device, while at the same time offering the flexibility of
upgrades late in the manufacturing process or after the device is in the field. Actel Fusion devices
provide an excellent alternative to costly and time-consuming mixed-signal ASIC designs. In
addition, when used in conjunction with the Actel for the MicroTCA market. Actel Fusion
technology represents the definitive mixed-signal FPGA platform.
Flash-based Fusion devices are live at power-up. As soon as system power is applied and within
normal operating specifications, Fusion devices are working. Fusion devices have a 128-bit flash-
based lock and industry-leading AES decryption, used to secure programmed intellectual property
(IP) and configuration data. Actel Fusion devices are the most comprehensive single-chip analog
and digital programmable logic solution available today.
To support this new ground-breaking technology, Actel has developed a series of major tool
innovations to help maximize designer productivity. Implemented as extensions to the popular
Actel Libero® Integrated Design Environment (IDE), these new tools allow designers to easily
instantiate and configure peripherals within a design, establish links between peripherals, create
or import building blocks or reference designs, and perform hardware verification. This tool suite
will also add comprehensive hardware/software debug capability as well as a suite of utilities to
simplify development of embedded soft-processor-based solutions.
MicroBlade-based Fusion (U1AFS) devices are targeted to Actel’s Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC)
design developed in partnership with MicroBlade, Inc. The AMC design is an 8051-based Module
Management Controller (MMC) and is fully compliant with the PICMG Advanced Mezzanine Card
AMC.0 R2.0 and IPMI v2.0 specification, implementing in the AMC reference design and AMC
Starter Kit as a complete board including a variable load board 100 W payload. The AMC reference
design is available for free download from the Actel website, including board design files,
documentation, FPGA design as a complete Libero® Integrated Design Environment (IDE) project,
and an executable firmware image. The AMC Starter Kit adds complete firmware source code in C
format. Designs based on the AMC Starter Kit (part number UTCA-AMC-SK) design are required to
use one of the U1AFS devices: U1AFS250, U1AFS600, or U1AFS1500.
Preliminary v0.4
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ACTEL [ Actel Corporation ]
