DSP Enhanced FPGA

Rapid advances in silicon technology and high demand of multimedia applications on wireless networks have spurred the research anddevelopment of computationally intensive signal processing and communication systems on FPGAs and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs).
These advancements also offer mystical solutions to historically intractable signal processing problems resulting in major new market opportunities and trends. Traditionally for signal processing specific applications off the shelf Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) are used. 
Exploiting parallelism in algorithms and mapping them on VLIW processors are tedious and do not always give optimal solution. There are applications where even multiple of these DSPs cannot handle the computational needs of the applications.
Recent advances in speed, density, features and low cost have made FPGA processors offer a very attractive choice for mapping high-rate signal processing and communication systems, specially when the processing requirements are beyond the capabilities of off the shelf DSPs.
In many designs a combination of DSP and FPGA are used. The more structured and arithmetic demanding parts of the application are mapped on the FPGA and less structured parts of the algorithms are mapped on off the shelf DSPs.

Surface Mount Technology

Surface mount technology is an easiest and prefect form of mounting components in Printed Circuit Boards.  It entails making reliable interconnections on the board at great speeds, at reduced cost.  To achieve these, SMT needed new types of surface mount components, new testing techniques, new assembling technique, new mounting techniques and a new set of design guidelines.         
SMT is completely different from insertion mounting. The difference depends on the availability and cost of surface mounting elements. Thus the designer has no choice other than mixing the through hole and surface mount elements. At every step the surface mount technology calls for automation with intelligence.
Electronic products are becoming miniature with improvements in integration and interconnection on the chip itself, and device – to – device (D–to–D) interconnections. Surface Mount Technology (SMT) is a significant contributor to D–to–D interconnection costs.
    In SMT, the following   are important

1. D-to-D interconnection costs.
2. Signal integrity and operating speeds.
3. Device- to-substrate interconnection methods.
4. Thermal management of the assembled package.

D-to-D interconnection costs have not decreased as much as that of the ICs. A computer-on-a-chip costs less than the surrounding component interconnections. The problem of propagation delay, which is effectively solved at the device level, resurfaces as interconnections between the devices are made.
The modified new IC packages, having greater integration of functions, less in size and weight, and smaller in lead pitch, dictate newer methods of design, handling, assembly and repair. This has given new directions to design and process approaches, which are addresses by SMT.Currently, D-to-D interconnections at the board level are based on ‘soldering’-the method of joining the discrete components.
The leads of the components are inserted in the holes drilled as per the footprint, and soldered.In the early decades, manual skills were used to accomplish insertion as well as soldering, as the component sizes were big enough to be handled conveniently. There have been tremendous efforts to automate the method of insertion of component leads to their corresponding holes, and solder them en-mass. The leads always posed problems for auto-insertion. The tendency of Americans against using manual, skilled labour resulted in the emergence of SMT, which inherits with it automation as precondition for success.

Adaptive active phased array radars

Adaptive active phased array radars are seen as the vehicle to address the current requirements for true ‘multifunction’ radars systems.  Their ability to adapt to the enviournment and schedule their tasks in real time allows them to operate with performance levels well above those that can be achieved from the conventional radars.
Their ability to make effective use of all the available RF power and to minimize RF losses also makes them a good candidate for future very long range radars. The AAPAR can provide many benefit in meeting the performance that will be required by tommorow's radar systems. In some cases it will be the only possible solution.
It provides the radar system designer with an almost infinte range of possibilites. This flexibility, however, needs to be treated with caution: the complexity of the system must not be allowed to grow such that it becomes uncontolled and unstable. The AAPAR breaks down the conventional walls between the traditional systems elements- antenna, transmitter, receiver etc-such that the AAPAR design must be treated holistically.
Strict requirements on the integrity of the system must be enforced. Rigourous techiues must be used to ensure that the overall flow down of requirements from top level is achieved and that testeability of the requirements can be demonstrated under both quiescent and adaptive condition.