Field programmable devices are continually being adopted in new market segments, where they are being implemented as mainstream logic devices. These new market segments are increasingly driving competing FPGA vendors to incorporate a wider variety of functionality and flexibility within their devices. Embedded digital signal processing (DSP) is one such function, addressing a wide gamut of market segments. In order to meet increasing market demands, these processing elements and their supporting hardware platforms must be able to provide increased calculation throughput without the expense of additional latency. For example, in 3G and 4G wireless applications, baseband and remote radio head (RRH) cards are required to handle both multiple protocols and increased throughput in order to support higher cellular data rates, even while maintaining a high Signal to Noise Ratio. 

To address these emerging needs, Lattice Semiconductor has continued its tradition of providing high performance DSP capabilities in its most recent low-cost, SERDES-capable LatticeECP3 FPGA family. Features such as a dual slice architecture, the ability to cascade/chain DSP slices and blocks and an enhanced instruction set establish the LatticeECP3 family as a compelling alternative for signal processing applications such as FIR filtering and FFT/iFFT implementations. 

The world of signal processing is a dynamic and demanding one. Continuous improvement is expected, both from designers and vendors. Architectural improvements such as dual slice architecture allow for finer block control and higher clock speeds, while other enhancements, such as cascadability and a wider ALU/input mux, allow the LatticeECP3 to support more efficient implementations of processing functions, such as adder trees, by not requiring the use of any external logic. These are just some of the many improvements made to the LatticeECP3 family, demonstrating once again that Lattice is committed to delivering the best possible solutions. By combining high performance, low power and low cost, the LatticeECP3 FPGA family is the next chapter in the Lattice story of unparalleled overall value.