I/O cell configuration for multiple I/O standards
Granted: July 14, 2005
Application Number:
20050151564
Circuitry is provided to individually configure each I/O of an integrated circuit to be compatible with a different LVTTL I/O standards. This can be done with only one I/O supply voltage, where that voltage is the highest of the I/O voltages needed in a particular application. The circuitry operates by regulating the output voltage of the I/O cell so that it is above the VOH and below the maximum VIH for the LVTTL standard for which it will comply with. Since each I/O cell is…
Programmable high speed I/O interface
Granted: June 23, 2005
Application Number:
20050134332
Methods and apparatus for providing either high-speed, or lower-speed, flexible inputs and outputs. An input and output structure having a high-speed input, a high-speed output, a low or moderate speed input, and an low or moderate speed output is provided. One of the input and output circuits are selected and the others are deselected. The high-speed input and output circuits are comparatively simple, in one example having only a clear signal for a control line input, and are able to…
Versatile logic element and logic array block
Granted: June 16, 2005
Application Number:
20050127944
An embodiment of this invention pertains to a versatile and flexible logic element and logic array block (“LAB”). Each logic element includes a programmable combinational logic function block such as a lookup table (“LUT”) and a flip-flop. Within the logic element, multiplexers are provided to allow the flip-flop and the LUT to be programmably connected such that either the output of the LUT may be connected to the input of the flip-flop or the output of the flip-flop may be…
System and method for design entry and synthesis in programmable logic devices
Granted: April 28, 2005
Application Number:
20050088867
A system and method facilitates the implementation of analog circuitry in electronic programmable devices. A user can specify user measurable parameters for analog features of the circuit, without requiring knowledge of the internal way in which those analog circuit are implemented in the programmable device to achieve desired properties of the analog parameters of interest. The implementation can be performed in different devices which may implement the analog circuit in vastly…
Functional failure analysis techniques for programmable integrated circuits
Granted: January 27, 2005
Application Number:
20050022085
Techniques are provided for isolating failed routing resources on a programmable circuit. Failing test patterns and the test logs are fed to a Statistical Failure Isolation (SFI) tool. The SFI tool extracts failing paths from the test patterns. A statistical analysis is performed on interconnect resources related to failing paths. The resources on the paths are then tallied to create a histogram of resources. These resources are then be fed into an Adaptive Failure Isolation (AFI) tool…
Mask-programmable logic devices with programmable gate array sites
Granted: December 30, 2004
Application Number:
20040263205
A mask-programmable logic device that includes programmable gate array sites is provided. The gate array sites contain circuit elements that may be programmed to perform certain logic functions that correct problems associated with implementing a preexisting circuit design in mask-programmable device.
Techniques for dynamically selecting phases of oscillator signals
Granted: December 23, 2004
Application Number:
20040257137
Techniques for dynamically shifting the phase of clock signals are provided. A circuit generates a plurality of periodic clock signals. Each clock signal has the same period, the same duty cycle, and a different phase. The clock signals are provided to the inputs of two multiplexers. The output signals of the multiplexers are transmitted to a phase selection circuit that generations phase selection signals. The multiplexers each select one of the clock signals in response to the phase…
Method for programming a mask-programmable logic device and device so programmed
Granted: December 23, 2004
Application Number:
20040261052
A user logic design for a mask-programmable logic device (“MPLD”) may be designed on a comparable or compatible user-programmable logic device (“UPLD”) and migrated to the MPLD, or may be designed directly on an MPLD. If the design is designed on a UPLD, the constraints of the target MPLD—i.e., differences between the devices—are taken into account so that the migration will be successful. If the design is designed directly on an MPLD, constraints of a…
Interconnection and input/output resources for programmable logic integrated circuit devices
Granted: December 16, 2004
Application Number:
20040251930
A programmable logic integrated circuit device has a plurality of regions of programmable logic disposed on the device in a plurality of intersecting rows and columns of such regions. Interconnection resources (e.g., interconnection conductors, signal buffers/drivers, programmable connectors, etc.) are provided on the device for making programmable interconnections to, from, and/or between the regions. At least some of these interconnection resources are provided in two forms that are…
Bus architecture for system on a chip
Granted: November 25, 2004
Application Number:
20040236893
A multiple bus architecture for a system on a chip including bridges for de-coupling clock frequencies of individual bus masters from peripherals they are accessing. Each bridge interfaces to all bus masters in the system that require access to the peripherals it interfaces to.
Programmable logic devices with stabilized configuration cells for reduced soft error rates
Granted: November 25, 2004
Application Number:
20040233701
Programmable logic devices are provided having configuration memory cells that exhibit decreased soft error rates. A stabilizing capacitor may be connected between each of the memory cell's input and output terminals. The capacitor may be a metal-insulator-metal capacitor formed using a vertical structure, a horizontal structure, or a hybrid vertical-horizontal structure. The memory cell may have inverter transistors of increased strength to help stabilize the memory cell.
Interconnection resources for programmable logic integrated circuit devices
Granted: November 11, 2004
Application Number:
20040222818
A programmable logic device has many regions of programmable logic, together with relatively general-purpose, programmable, interconnection resources that can be used to make interconnections between virtually any of the logic regions. In addition, various types of more local interconnection resources are associated with each logic region for facilitating the making of interconnections between adjacent or nearby logic regions without the need to use the general-purpose interconnection…
Apparatus and methods for silicon-on-insulator transistors in programmable logic devices
Granted: November 4, 2004
Application Number:
20040217775
A programmable logic device (PLD) includes programmable electronic circuitry. The programmable electronic circuitry allows programming the functionality of the PLD. The programmable electronic circuitry includes one or more of programmable interconnects, pass devices, look-up table circuits, and/or multi-input logic circuits. Each of the programmable interconnects, pass devices, look-up table circuits, and/or multi-input logic circuits includes one or more of dynamic threshold metal…
Digital phase locked loop circuitry and methods
Granted: July 22, 2004
Application Number:
20040140837
Phase locked loop circuitry operates digitally, to at least a large extent, to select from a plurality of phase-distributed candidate clock signals the signal that is closest in phase to transitions in another signal such as a clock data recovery (“CDR”) signal. The circuitry is constructed and operated to avoid glitches in the output clock signal that might otherwise result from changes in selection of the candidate clock signal.
Use of dangling partial lines for interfacing in a PLD
Granted: June 10, 2004
Application Number:
20040108871
A routing structure in a PLD is implemented in a staggered fashion. Routing lines that would otherwise be “partial” and dangling at a routing architecture boundary are driven, providing additional flexibility for routing signals to the PLD core from the boundaries.
Reconfigurable programmable logic device computer system
Granted: May 20, 2004
Application Number:
20040098569
A reconfigurable computer system based on programmable logic is provided. A system design language may be used to write applications. The applications may be automatically partitioned into software components and programmable logic resource components. A virtual computer operating system may be provided to schedule and allocate system resources. The virtual computer operating system may include a virtual logic manager that may increase the capabilities of programmable logic resources in…
PLD debugging HUB
Granted: May 20, 2004
Application Number:
20040098638
User logic within a PLD is debugged by way of the hub. The PLD includes a serial interface (such as a JTAG port) that communicates with a host computer. Any number of client modules are within the PLD and provide instrumentation for the PLD. A module is a logic analyzer, fault injector, system debugger, etc. Each client module has connections with the user logic that allows the instrumentation to work with the user logic. The hub communicates with each client module over a hub/node…
Programmable logic array integrated circuits
Granted: April 8, 2004
Application Number:
20040066212
A programmable logic array integrated circuit has a number of programmable logic modules which are grouped together in a plurality of logic array blocks (“LABs”). The LABs are arranged on the circuit in a two dimensional array. A conductor network is provided for interconnecting any logic module with any other logic module. In addition, adjacent or nearby logic modules are connectable to one another for such special purposes as providing a carry chain between logic modules…
Programmable logic device with high speed serial interface circuitry
Granted: February 19, 2004
Application Number:
20040032282
A programmable logic device (“PLD”) includes high speed serial interface (“HSSI”) circuitry that can support several high speed serial (“HSS”) standards. Examples of the standards that can be supported are XAUI, InfiniBand, 1G Ethernet, FibreChannel, and Serial RapidIO. The HSSI circuitry may be partly programmable to support these various standards. In some cases control may come from the associated PLD core circuitry. Also in some cases some of the…
Heterogeneous interconnection architecture for programmable logic devices
Granted: January 29, 2004
Application Number:
20040017222
An interconnection architecture for programmable logic devices (PLDs) is presented in which heterogeneous interconnect resources can be programmably connected to function blocks in accordance with two or more operational parameters, such as, for example, signal propagation speed, circuit area, signal routing flexibility, and PLD reliability. Programmable interconnect resources include unbalanced multiplexers, different types of interface buffers, and signal wires of different widths and…
