An advanced embedded structure in APEX^™ 20K, APEX^™ II, ARM^®-based Excalibur^™, and Mercury^™ devices.

In APEX 20K and ARM-based Excalibur devices, the embedded system block (ESB) is an advanced embedded structure that contains 2,048 programmable bits and can be configured as product-term logic or various types of memory blocks: dual-port RAM, ROM, and FIFO blocks. APEX 20KE devices can also be configured as content-addressable memory (CAM) blocks. Each ESB can be configured with up to 16 macrocells, and can contain OR or XOR logic, parallel expanders, and up to 32 product terms and 16 D or T flipflops.

When implementing memory in APEX 20K and ARM-based Excalibur devices, each ESB can be configured in any of the following sizes: 128 × 16, 256 × 8, 512 × 4, 1,024 × 2, or 2,048 × 1. Depending on the depth of the memory, up to 16 of the embedded cells in an ESB have outputs. For memory blocks of 128 × 16, 256 × 8, 512 × 4, 1,024 × 2, or 2,048 × 1 bits, an ESB has 16, 8, 4, 2, or 1 outputs, respectively.

In APEX 20K and ARM-based Excalibur devices, multiple ESBs can be combined to form larger memory blocks. For example, two 128 × 16 RAM blocks can be combined to form a 128 × 32 RAM block, and two 512 × 4 RAM blocks can be combined to form a 512 × 8 RAM block. Each ESB can implement a 2,048-word-deep memory. To create a high-speed memory block more than 2,048 words deep, the Quartus^® II software automatically combines ESBs with logic element control logic.

In APEX II devices, the ESB is an advanced embedded structure that contains 4,096 programmable bits and can be configured as product-term logic or various types of memory blocks: bidirectional dual-port RAM, dual- and single-port RAM, ROM, FIFO, and CAM blocks. Each ESB can be configured with up to 16 macrocells, and can contain OR or XOR logic, parallel expanders, and up to 32 product terms and 16 D or T flipflops.

When implementing memory in APEX II devices, each ESB can be configured in any of the following sizes for bidirectional dual-port, dual-port, and single-port modes: 512 × 8; 1,024 × 4; 2,048 × 2; or 4,096 × 1. For dual-port and single-port modes, the ESB can also be configured for 256 × 16. For variable port width RAMs, any port width ratio combination must be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16. The ESB in APEX II devices can also be split in half and used as two independent 2,048-bit single-port RAM blocks. The two independent RAM blocks must have identical configurations with a maximum width of 256 × 8. For example, each half of the ESB can be used as independent 256 × 8 single-port memory.

In APEX II devices, multiple ESBs can be combined to form larger memory blocks. For example, two 256 × 16 RAM blocks can be combined to form a 256 × 32 RAM block, and two 512 × 8 RAM blocks can be combined to form a 512 × 16 RAM block. Each ESB can implement a 4,096-word-deep memory. To create a high-speed memory block more than 4,096 words deep, the Quartus II software automatically combines ESBs with logic element control logic.

In Mercury devices, the ESB is an advanced embedded structure that contains 4,096 programmable bits and can be configured as various types of memory blocks: quad-port RAM, bidirectional dual-port RAM, dual- and single-port RAM, ROM, FIFO, and CAM blocks. ESBs are grouped together in rows at the top and bottom of the device for fast horizontal communication.

When implementing memory in Mercury devices, each ESB can be configured in any of the following sizes for quad port, bidirectional dual-port, dual-port, and single-port modes: 256 × 16; 512 × 8; 1,024 × 4; 2,048 × 2; or 4,096 × 1. For dual-port and single-port modes, the ESB can also be configured for 128 × 32. For variable port width RAMs, any port width ratio combination must be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16. The ESB in Mercury devices can also be split in half and used as two independent 2,048-bit single-port or dual-port RAM blocks. For example, one half of the ESB can be used as a 128 × 16 memory single-port memory while the other half can be used as a 1,024 × 2 dual-port memory.

In Mercury devices, multiple ESBs can be combined to form larger memory blocks. For example, two 256 × 16 RAM blocks can be combined to form a 256 × 32 RAM block, and two 512 × 8 RAM blocks can be combined to form a 512 × 16 RAM block. Each ESB can implement a 4,096-word-deep memory. To create a high-speed memory block more than 4,096 words deep, the Quartus II software automatically combines ESBs with logic element control logic.

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