NEC Electronics Introduces the CMOS-12M Series of Mainstream Structured ASICs

NEC Electronics and its subsidiaries in the United States and Europe, NEC Electronics America, Inc. and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH, today introduced the CMOS-12M series of mainstream structured ASICs based on the company’s 150-nanometer (nm) CMOS process technology. With up to two million usable ASIC gates, 2.6 megabits (Mb) of ultra-high-speed embedded memory, and system performance of 200 megahertz (MHz), the CMOS-12M series is optimized to enable customers to reduce their turnaround times and development costs.

“As a pioneer in the structured ASIC market, we have witnessed a growing need for lower-cost, lower-complexity structured ASIC solutions to address a broad range of mainstream applications without the higher performance or higher non-recurring engineering (NRE) costs of cell-based ASICs,” stated Toshiyuki Tsutsumi, general manager, Sales Promotion Division, NEC Electronics Corporation. “CMOS-12M products were designed to address the needs of customers in this space and to help more users realize the benefits of structured ASICs by reducing time to market and lowering NRE costs.”

The 1.5 volt (V) CMOS-12M series employs NEC Electronics’ proven 150 nm CMOS process technology, achieving a system clock frequency of 200MHz, improving performance by 50 percent and reducing power consumption by approximately half compared with previous 0.25-micron (µm) devices. The 10 new masterslices have pre-diffused dual-port memory blocks and analog phase-locked loops (PLLs) embedded in a high-density structured logic array. Digital delay-locked loop (DLL) blocks are diffused throughout the larger masterslices. The I/O ports support several standards, including LVTTL, PCI™, PCI-X™, GTL+, LVCMOS2.5, SSTL3, SSTL2, HSTL, LVDS, LVPECL (input). A CMOS-12M device can be connected with up to four power supply sources to support core and input/output (I/O) voltage requirements.

The CMOS-12M structured ASIC series offers small to medium-sized masterslices ranging from 125 thousand (K) to two million (2M) usable ASIC gates and 98 kilobits (Kb) to 2.6 Mb of embedded memory and is ideal for cost-sensitive applications with moderate volumes ranging from 1K to 500K units. An extensive variety of low-cost package options include quad flat packs (QFPs), fine-pitch ball grid arrays (FPBGAs), plastic ball grid arrays (PBGAs), and advanced ball grid arrays (ABGAs) with pin counts as low as 100 in QFPs and 108 in FPBGAs.

The CMOS-12M series complements NEC Electronics’ Instant Silicon Solution Platform™ (ISSP) structured ASICs that include the 150 nm ISSP1™ family for higher-end, higher pin count applications requiring enriched intellectual property (IP) support, and the leading-edge 90 nm ISSP90™ family. While ISSP structured ASICs incorporate an advanced signal and power integrity-aware architecture that includes embedded clock tree, design for test (DFT) and power grids, CMOS-12M structured ASICs realize these features through a robust design methodology in the NEC Electronics structured ASIC-optimized OpenCAD design environment.

NEC Electronics offers a comprehensive range of ASIC solutions, including cell-based ASICs, structured ASICs and traditional gate arrays. NEC Electronics has been the world’s leading supplier of gate arrays for 11 consecutive years, according to independent research firm Gartner Dataquest, taping out more than 750 designs over the past three years. The company continues to offer a wide selection of array-based ASICs based on mature, low-cost 0.5 µm, 0.35 µm and 0.25 µm process technologies at affordable price points as low as under US$1 per piece. Combined with its leading-edge cell-based ASIC offerings, NEC Electronics aims to deliver ASIC solutions that are well matched to the varying needs of its worldwide customers.

Pricing and Availability
Samples of the CMOS-12M series are scheduled to begin shipping in April 2005, starting at US$5 for a masterslice with 125K usable ASIC gates and 96 Kb of embedded memory. Engineering sample turnaround time can be as low as two weeks from mask order to shipment. Volume production is scheduled to begin in July 2005. Pricing and availability are subject to change without notice.

About NEC Electronics Corporation

NEC Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) specializes in semiconductor products encompassing advanced technology solutions for the high-end computing and broadband networking markets, system solutions for the mobile handsets, PC peripherals, automotive and digital consumer markets, and platform solutions for a wide range of customer applications. NEC Electronics Corporation has 26 subsidiaries worldwide including NEC Electronics America, Inc. (www.necelam.com) and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH (www.ee.nec.de). Additional information about NEC Electronics worldwide can be found at www.necel.com.