Use of programmable logic devices as an aid to system design

Discusses the problems associated with developing application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for commercial products and outlines some of the benefits that can be achieved by using bread-boarding with programmable logic devices (PLDs). It then considers an actual example and describes some of the CAD tools used. The paper then moves on to examine some of the PLD families available today and identifies the characteristics of these that will be important in the future