Clock network for field programmable gate array

• US 5,892,370 A
• Filed: 01/03/1997
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: QuickLogic Corporation
• Original Assignee: QuickLogic Corporation
• Inventors: Liu, Ker-Ching, Eaton, David D., Lulla, Mukesh T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tokar, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROSEEN, RICHARD R
• Application Number:
  US08/781,985
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 326/93, 326/39, 326/41, 326/95, 327/297
• US Class Current: 326/39
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/223 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/177 arranged in matrix form

Abstract

A clock network of a field programmable gate array has a first clock bus extending across the chip in a first dimension. A clock pad can be coupled to the first clock bus if the clock network is to be driven from the clock pad. An output of a selected logic cell can be coupled to the first clock bus if the clock network is to be driven from a logic cell. To increase speed of the clock network, the first clock bus is segmented (in one embodiment, collinearly extending segments can be selectively coupled together via selectively programmable antifuses) so that only a short piece of the first clock bus is used to couple either the pad or the logic cell to the clock network in high speed applications.

Claims

1. A field programmable gate array, comprising:

a first clock bus extending in a first dimension and having a first segment extending in the first dimension, a second segment extending in the first dimension substantially collinear with respect to the first segment, the first segment being programmably couplable to the second segment;

a first driver circuit having an input coupled to the first segment of the first clock input bus;

a second clock bus extending in the first dimension parallel to said first clock bus, the second clock bus being coupled to an output of the first driver circuit; and

a plurality third clock buses extending in a second dimension perpendicular to the first dimension, each third clock bus having a second driver circuit an input of which is coupled to the second clock bus and an output of which is coupled to the third clock bus.

2. The field programmable gate array of claim 1, further comprising:

a pad; and

a buffer having an input permanently coupled to the pad and an output permanently coupled to the first segment of the first clock bus.

3. The field programmable gate array of claim 1, further comprising:

a pad; and

a buffer having an input permanently coupled to the pad and an output programmably couplable to the first segment of the first clock bus via an antifuse.

4. The field programmable gate array of claim 1, wherein the first segment of the first clock bus is significantly shorter than the second segment of the first clock bus.

5. The field programmable gate array of claim 1, wherein the first clock bus further comprises a third segment extending in the first dimension which is programmably couplable to the first segment, the first segment being disposed collinearly with respect to the second and third segments, the first segment being disposed between the second and third segments.

6. The field programmable gate array of claim 1, wherein the first clock bus extends substantially all the way across the field programmable gate array from a first side of the field programmable gate array to a second side of the field programmable gate array opposite the first side.

7. The field programmable gate array of claim 5, wherein the first segment is programmably couplable to the second segment via a first antifuse and wherein the first segment is programmably couplable to the third segment via a second antifuse.

8. The field programmable gate array of claim 1, wherein each second driver circuit has an input for programmably disabling the second driver circuit such that the output of second driver circuit does not switch regardless of a signal on the second clock bus.

9. The field programmable gate array of claim 8, wherein the input for disabling can be coupled to V_CC via a dedicated antifuse.

10. The field programmable gate array of claim 8, wherein the input for disabling can be coupled to ground potential via a dedicated antifuse.

11. The field programmable gate array of claim 1, wherein each second driver circuit includes a high voltage protection transistor which isolates the third clock bus from the associated second driver circuit during antifuse programming.

12. The field programmable gate array of claim 11, wherein each high voltage protection transistor has a gate coupled during normal circuit operation to an output of a charge pump.

13. The field programmable gate array of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of columns of logic cells, each column extending in the second dimension parallel to and adjacent to a corresponding third clock bus.

14. A method, comprising:

coupling a pad to only one segment of a segmented first clock bus of a field programmable gate array, the segmented first clock bus having a plurality of segments which can be coupled together; and

supplying a signal from the pad and onto a second clock bus via the one segment.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pad is coupled to the one segment via a programmed antifuse.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the segmented first clock bus extends in a first dimension and wherein the second clock bus extends parallel to the segmented first clock bus in the first dimension.

17. A method, comprising:

coupling an output of a logic cell to only one segment of a segmented first clock bus of a field programmable gate array, the segmented first clock bus having a plurality of segments which can be coupled together; and

supplying a signal from the logic cell and onto a second clock bus via the one segment.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the logic cell is coupled to the one segment via a programmed antifuse.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the segmented first clock bus extends in a first dimension and wherein the second clock bus extends parallel to the segmented first clock bus in the first dimension.