SRAM-based FPGA design techniques for safety related systems conforming to IEC 61508 a survey and analysis

With the announcement and development of safety standards such as IEC 61508 and DO-254 standards a basis for the implementation of qualitative and quantitative analyzes in the areas of reliability and safety for electronic safety-related systems was laid. Especially with the publication of the second edition of the standard IEC 61508 standard and the introduction of new aspects such as on-chip redundancy and the use of integrated systems in such systems is becoming increasingly attractive. SRAM-based FPGAs are considered as the mainstream FPGA technology and represent an excellent platform for the development of system-on-chips due to their complexity and programming flexibility. In this paper, the implementation of FPGA-based safety-related systems according to the standard IEC 61508 is targeted. First, the advantages and challenges of FPGAs for the use in such systems are presented. Afterwards, measures and methodologies are discussed, which are required for the implementation of such systems. Finally suitable FPGA implementation of these measures is presented.