▁Fair ly ▁common ▁are ▁differential ▁compar ators ▁on ▁input ▁p ins ▁designed ▁to ▁be ▁connected ▁to ▁differential ▁signal ing ▁channels . ▁A ▁few ▁" m ixed ▁signal ▁F PG As " ▁have ▁integrated ▁peri pher al ▁analog - to - dig ital ▁conver ters ▁( AD C s ) ▁and ▁digital - to - anal og ▁conver ters ▁( D AC s ) ▁with ▁analog ▁signal ▁condition ing ▁blocks ▁allowing ▁them ▁to ▁operate ▁as ▁a ▁system - on - a - ch ip ▁( So C ). ▁Such ▁devices ▁bl ur ▁the ▁line ▁between ▁an ▁F P GA , ▁which ▁car ries ▁digital ▁ones ▁and ▁zeros ▁on ▁its ▁internal ▁program m able ▁inter connect ▁fabric , ▁and ▁field - program m able ▁analog ▁array ▁( FP AA ), ▁which ▁car ries ▁analog ▁values ▁on ▁its ▁internal ▁program m able ▁inter connect ▁fabric . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁The ▁F P GA ▁industry ▁spr out ed ▁from ▁program m able ▁read - only ▁memory ▁( P ROM ) ▁and ▁program m able ▁logic ▁devices ▁( PL D s ). ▁P ROM s ▁and ▁P LD s ▁both ▁had ▁the ▁option ▁of ▁being ▁program med ▁in ▁batch es ▁in ▁a ▁factory ▁or ▁in ▁the ▁field ▁( field - program m able ). ▁However , ▁program m able ▁logic ▁was ▁hard - w ired ▁between ▁logic ▁gates . ▁ ▁Al tera ▁was ▁founded ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 3 ▁and ▁delivered ▁the ▁industry ' s ▁first ▁re program m able ▁logic ▁device ▁in ▁ 1 9 8