UsingiCEGATEinUltraLowPoweriCEFPGA

INTRODUCTION
Intodayshandheldandportableapplicationsmarket,powerpriceandspaceformthecruxof
thecompetition,especiallywithFPGAsandCPLDsplayinganincreasinglyimportantrolein
meetingmarketdemandsofconvergence,innovation,andtimetomarket.Thisapplication
notediscussesacreativetechnologythatreducesstaticpowerconsumptiontoevenlower
levelsthatwerepreviouslythoughtunreachable.
StaticpowerisbasedonthecurrentthatisdrawnbytheFPGAwhenitispoweredup,
configured,anddoingnowork.DeepwithintheFPGA,transistorsleakcurrentevenwhenthey
arenotswitching.Leakagevariesfromoneprocesstoanother,dependingontheoxidelayer
thickness.ThisformofstaticcurrentiswhatmostFPGAvendorsdeclareintheirtechnical
documentation.Practicallyhowever,truestaticpowerisseldomreachableinadesignwhere
I/OsaretogglingandinputsareswitchingevenwhentheFPGAisinstandbymodeorsimply
doingnowork.WhatmostFPGAvendorsdeclareastheirstatic/standbylowpoweris
unrealisticandcannotbereachedinanydesignexample,wheretypically,inputsareswitching
andI/Osaretoggling.WhatSiliconBlueoffersisacreativemethodologytoovercomethis
problembyblockingunwantedinputsandthusreducingpowerconsumptiontothedefinitive
staticpowerwhereonlythefabricispoweredonbutnoI/Oiscontributingtofinalpower
consumption.iCEGATEisaprogrammableON/OFFswitchthateliminatesunnecessarytoggling
ofinputswhenthesearenotinuse.

iCEGATE
InatypicalCPLD/FPGAdesign,externallogicisneededtoblockswitchinginputs,thusraising
systempowerandcost.Truestaticpowercannotbepracticallyachievedunlessinputsare
beingblockedbyacertainmechanism.Nodesigncanoperatewithzeroinputstoggling.
iCEGATEallowstruestaticpowertohappenwithoutusinganyexternalresources.
iCEGATEisimplementedintwostages.ThefirststageconsistsofaBankLatchEnablecontrol
signal(iCEGATEHOLD)thatpropagatesthroughoutallpreIOcellspertainingtoonebank.The
controlsignaloptionallyenablesasynchronousinputswithinabankandsavespowerby
selectivelyinhibitingswitchingofinputsignalsduringlowpoweroperation.Asecondstage
consistingofconfigurationbitsthatcontroleachindividualpinsparticipationiniCEGATE.
1

IndividualpinswithintheI/ObankcanbypasstheInputEnablecontrolandfeeddirectlyinto
theProgrammableInterconnect,remainingactiveduringlowpoweroperation.

iCEGATEcircuitryisimplementedinaninterfacecellbetweenthelogiccoreandtheI/Ocell
thatiscalledthePREIOcell.ThefigurebelowshowsPREIOCellarchitectureandiCEGATE
implementation.

PRE-IO CELL
Input Clock
iCEGATE
HOLD

cbit[1]

LOGIC CORE

cbit[0]

Figure1:PreIOCellArchitecture
Thefollowingtableshowstheinputs,outputs,andcontrolspertainingtotheiCEGATEdesignin
thePREIOcell:
Table1:PreIOCellSignalDescription

Signal

Description

InputClock
iCEGATEHOLD
cbit[1:0]

EnablesthetworegistersD0andD1
Bankenablesignal
Configurationbitsforindividualpincontrol

iCEGATE_HOLDsignalissharedamongallI/Osplacedinthesamebank.Sucharchitecturegives
iCEGATEaninherentadvantageoverotherarchitecturesbycompetitorswhereinputblockingis
implementedviaarailthataffectsallbanksandallI/Osatonce.

hieveUlttraLowPower
UsingiCEGATEtoAch
Wedesiggnasampleapplicationwherethecchipisfilledw
with88load
dablecounteers.Weruntthe
codefrom
mtwodifferrentclockso
ources:32M
MHzoscillator,and32kH
Hzoscillator.Bothinputssare
sourcedtthroughglob
balbufferinputs.Theou
utputoftheglobalbuffeerconnectsttotheCLKin
nput
oftheProgrammable
eLogicBlockkinuse.TheeCLKsignaliissharedam
mongallflipfflopsina
wingpowerb
bypropagatiing
programmablelogicblock.Thus,,aclocksourcecanbeaactivelydraw
througho
outtheFPGA
Afabriceven
nwhennotb
beingused.Thefollowin
ngfiguresho
owstheMUX
X
implemeentationinan
niCE04FPGA.

Figure2:ClockMUX
XarchitecturreinaniCE0
04FPGA

TablebelowdescribesthesettingsrequiredforenablingiCEGATE:
Table2:TwoiCEGATEconfigurationsfor32MHzinput
CLK_SELECT
0
0
1

LATCH_32MHz
1
0
0

iCEGATE
ENABLED
DISABLED
DISABLED

WemeasuretheinternalpowerconsumptionontheiCE04devicebeforeweenableiCEGATE
onthe32MHzinputandthecurrentdrawis1.092mAat1.2Vwhichisequivalentto1.31mW.
WhenwedoenableiCEGATE,thecurrentdrawis51uAat1.2Vwhichisequivalentto61uW:
thatis95%powerreduction!
ThetablebelowshowsthevariouspowerconsumptionnumbersdependingoniCEGATE.
Table3:StaticPowerConsumptionwithiCEGATE

SystemMode
Description

iCEGATEEnabled

LowSpeedOperation Yes
(32kHz)
LowSpeedOperation No
(32kHz)

PowerConsumption
61uW
1.31mW

Figure1belowshowstheevaluationboardsetupwithammetermeasuring1.092mA.

Figure3:Ammeterreadingof1.092mAbeforeenablingiCEGATE
Figure2showsthecurrentdroppingto51uAafterenablingiCEGATE.

Figure4:Ammeterreadingof51uAafterenablingiCEGATE

ConfiguringiCEGATE
EverypincanbeindividuallyconfiguredwhethertouseiCEGATElatchenableornot.The
followingisaninputpinfunctiontruthtablethatshowsthefunctionaldescriptionbasedonthe
pintypebitassignment.ThedesignermustthensetthepintypeinHDLcodetoparticipatein
iCEGATEandtheinputtobeblockedappropriately.Thefollowingtableshowsthetwo
configurationbitsPIN_TYPEassociatedwitheachindividualpin.
Table4:InputPinFunctionTruthTable

ParameterNameMnemonic

PIN_TYPE[1:0]

FunctionalDescriptionofPackage
PinInputOperation

1 PIN_INPUT

Simpleinputpin

2 PIN_INPUT_LATCH

Disablesinternaldatachangesonthe
physicalinputpinbylatchingthe
value.

3 PIN_INPUT_REGISTERED

Inputdataisregisteredininputcell

Disablesinternaldatachangesonthe
physicalinputpinbylatchingthe
valueontheinputregister

4 PIN_INPUT_REGISTERED_LATCH

DesignersmustfollowthethreesimpleguidelinesinimplementingiCEGATE:
1. IfIOcelldoesnotusetheLatchfunction:leaveLATCH_INPUT_VALUE(iCEGATEenable)
unconnectedandsetPIN_TYPE[1]=0;
2. IfIOcellusestheLatchfunction:connectLATCH_INPUT_VALUE(iCEGATEenable)tothe
controlsignalandsetPIN_TYPE[1]=1;
3. ItisalegalplacementifallIOsassignedtothesamebankwhereallIOswith
PIN_TYPE[1]=1havethesameLATCH_INPUT_VALUE,andtherestoftheIOswith
PIN_TYPE[1]=0.

ThedesignerimplementsiCEGATEinHDLcode.Thefollowingcodesnippetsdemonstratehow
weimplementediCEGATEfunctionalityonthe32MHzoscillatorinput.
First,thebanklatchenableisdefinedasindicatedinredinthefollowingcode:

Component SB_IO is
GENERIC (
PIN_TYPE: STD_LOGIC_VECTOR (5 downto 0));
Port (
PACKAGE_PIN: in_STD_LOGIC;
LATCH_IPUT_VALUE : in STD_LOGIC;
D_IN_0 : out STD_LOGIC
);
end component;

ThecodebelowshowstheIOcellconfigurationandthemappingoftheBankLatchEnable
signal(LATCH_INPUT_VALUE)tothe32MHzclockenableinputsignal.
CLK32MHz_Buffer: SB_IO
generic map (
PIN_TYPE => 000011)
Port map (
PACKAGE_PIN => CLK_32MHz,
LATCH_INPUT_VALUE => LATCH_32MHz,
D_I_0 => CLK_32MHz_GB
);
Consecutively,theBankLatchEnableisnegatedandconnectedtotheclockselectoftheclock
mux.Whentheselectsignaloftheclockmuxiszerothe32kHzinputisactive,whichmeans
thatthe32MHzinputmustbelatchedsoiCEGATEisenabled.
LATCH_32MHZ <= not (CLK_SELECT)

iCEGATEvs.LowPowerMode
Lowpowermodesorsleepmodesareprevalentintodayslowpowerintegratedcircuits.
Whilethesemodesdopresentnumerousbenefitsforthedesigner,theylacksignificantly
behindwhattheiCEGATEtechnologycanofferintermsofpowersavings.WhatmakesiCEGATE
sopowerfulandattractiveistheabilitytoselectindividualpinswhilekeepingthedevice
operationalandlogicavailablefortherestofthechip.Suchfeaturesarenotpermissibleinlow
powermodeschemes.

SUMMARY
PortableApplicationsareparticularlysensitivebecausetheydrawalotofbatterypower.Anew
methodologytoreducestaticordynamicpowerconsumptioncanbeveryeffectivein
improvingbatterylife.iCEGATEwasdesignedtostopunwantedinputswitchingfrom
continuouslydrainingpowerandthatcanleadtonearly95%decreaseinpowerconsumption.
WithpowersavingtechniquessuchasiCEGATE,iCEFPGAsallowdesignerstobuildfullcustom
designseasilymeetingtargetsforsystemcostandpower.