The three-dimensional (3-D) field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is enabling the era of silicon convergence, according to Altera Corp. (San Jose, Calif.), which is incorporating application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), digital signal processors (DSPs) and micro-processor units (MPUs).

"3-D affords the capability of integrating FPGAs with ASICs, with memory with ASSPs, DSPs, MPUs or even with FPGAs from other vendors, thereby boosting system performance by minimizing  power, downsizing form factor and lowering BoM [bill of materials]," said Jeff Waters, senior vice president and general manager of military, industrial and computing division at Altera. "The promise of 3-D packaging is so great that Altera is dedicated to surmounting the engineering challenges of silicon interposer fabrication, optimizing resulting signal integrity, solving system integration issues, and managing yield and cost."

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