Dennis Hudgins
National Semiconductor

Today's FPGAs tend to operate at lower voltages and higher currents than their predecessors. Consequently, power supply requirements may be more demanding, requiring special attention to features deemed less important in past generations. Failure to consider the output voltage, sequencing, power on, and soft-start requirements can result in unreliable power up or potential damage to the FPGA. This paper discusses these important requirements of FPGA power supply design and provides examples of applications that implement them.