Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cbmvax!daveh
From: daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Suggestion for New Graphics Chips
Message-ID: <4172@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 1 Jul 88 20:27:21 GMT
References: <11415@steinmetz.ge.com>
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 29

in article <11415@steinmetz.ge.com>, oconnor@csb8.steinmetz (Dennis M. O'Connor) says:

> "3 micron" technology ? Are you kidding ? ...

> Are the new Amiga chips really being done in a technology that's been
> obsolete for at least three or four years ? I know Commodore has it's
> own in-house fab lines it wants to use, but haven't they put any money
> into improving their process lately ? 1.25 micron would allow 5 times
> as many devices in the same area.

The current Amiga chips were done in old NMOS.  So based on that, you
would have lots of trouble adding in many of the things that have been
proposed here on the net.  Then again, we don't do any new designs in 3
micon NMOS.  However, you can't just take a complex NMOS design, at any
level, and crank out the same thing in 1.25 micron CMOS.  You might do
better changing processes with ASICs, since most commercial ASICs are
standard cell or gate arrays, and are basically process independent.  But a 
full custom design is a mass of transistors and a by-hand layout (unless
you've got a silicon compiler).  Most layouts aren't scalable, though folks
are moving in that direction.  In any case, to put the Amiga chips, as is,
into a smaller process, you'd have to do lost of new layout.  If you're going
to CMOS as well (and you would be), that's a complete circuit redesign. 

>  Dennis O'Connor   oconnor%sungod@steinmetz.UUCP  ARPA: OCONNORDM@ge-crd.arpa
>     "Never confuse USENET with something that matters, like PIZZA."
-- 
Dave Haynie  "The 32 Bit Guy"     Commodore-Amiga  "The Crew That Never Rests"
   {ihnp4|uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh      PLINK: D-DAVE H     BIX: hazy
		"I can't relax, 'cause I'm a Boinger!"