Analogue programmability

Analogue programmability When you look at the success of the field-programmable gate array (FPGA) in capturing a wide range of designs where flexibility counts more than volume price, the attraction to do the same for analogue makes a lot of sense. But the analogue cousin of the FPGA has faced more of a struggle. Conceptually, the field-programmable analogue array (FPAA) is only a little younger than its logic-oriented big brother: the first proposals from researchers appeared in the late 1980s, with work at two independent groups, one at Caltech and the other at the University of Southern California. Since then the concept has been tried commercially though with mixed results. The most famous proponent has been Anadigm, which started as a spinout from glassmaker Pilkington mid-1990s before being acquired by Motorola and again being spun out as a company based near the semiconductor company’s Arizona fabs.