A customizable timing controller for electronic imaging applications

The authors describe a programmable video timing and control ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) that was designed in a fully custom manner using a silicon compiler tool set. The device architecture is specifically tailored to addressing the system requirements of video and other electronic imaging systems, incorporating genlock and defect correction functions. Customization requires only a VIA mask change, allowing the base architecture to be fabricated in advance, like a gate array. Fabrication turnaround time is less than that of a gate array and design effort redundancy is completely eliminated, providing a timely and cost-effective implementation. Designed in 2- mu m CMOS with 20-MHz operation, the device can be used in NTSC, CCIR 601, and PAL/SECAM video systems, but its flexible architecture makes it suitable for use in a wide variety of other applications as well.< >