Configurable integrated circuit with different connection schemes

• US 7,145,361 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tabula Incorporated
• Inventors: Rohe, Andre, Teig, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): WHITE, DYLAN C
• Application Number:
  US10/882,848
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 326 37- 41, 326/47, 326/101, 326/1
• US Class Current: 326/47
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0207 Geometrical layout of the components, e.g. computer aided design; custom LSI, semi-custom LSI, standard cell technique
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/11807 CMOS gate arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17736 Structural details of routing resources

Abstract

Some embodiments provide an IC with a configurable node array that has (1) two similar nodes within the interior of the array, and (2) two different connection schemes. The first connection scheme specifies a set of connections between the first node and a set of nodes in the array, while the second connection scheme specifies a second set of connections between the second node and a set of nodes in the array. The two nodes cannot connect to any nodes on the boundary of the array with any connection that is specified in any connection scheme.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit (“

IC”

) comprising;

a plurality of configurable nodes arranged in an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns;

a plurality of connection schemes for a plurality of nodes in the array, wherein each connection scheme for a particular node specifies a set of connections between the particular node and a set of nodes in the array, wherein a connection scheme is an arrangement of connections between nodes, wherein the connections do not include intervening interconnect circuits,

wherein at least two similar nodes have two different connection schemes, wherein the two similar nodes are not on the boundary of the array and cannot be connected to any nodes on the boundary of the array with any connection that is specified in any of the connection schemes.

2. The IC of claim 1 further comprising:

different connection schemes for different groups of configurable nodes, wherein a connection scheme for a group of configurable nodes specifies a set of connections for each node in the group, wherein each connection that is specified for a particular node connects the particular node to another node in the array;

wherein at least two nodes in two different groups are similar and are not on the boundary of the array and cannot connect to any nodes on the boundary of the array with any connection that is specified in any of the connection schemes.

3. The IC of claim 1, wherein a first set of connections in the first connection scheme have a symmetrical relationship with a second set of connections in the second connection scheme.

4. The IC of claim 3, wherein each particular connection in the first connection scheme has a symmetrical relationship with a particular connection in the second connection scheme.

5. The IC of claim 3, wherein a first connection is symmetrically related to a second connection when it has been rotated by a particular angle with respect to the second connection.

6. The IC of claim 1, wherein at least one connection scheme specifies a long offset connection, wherein a long offset connection is a connection between two nodes that are not in the same row and column and that are separated by at least two rows or two columns.

7. The IC of claim 6, wherein each of a plurality of connection schemes has at least one long offset connection.

8. The IC of claim 6, wherein at least one connection scheme has at least one connection between nodes that are in the same row or same column.

9. The IC of claim 8, wherein at least one connection scheme has connections between offset and aligned nodes.

10. The IC of claim 9, wherein each of a plurality of connection schemes has connections between offset and aligned nodes.

11. The IC of claim 1, wherein a connection is defined by a set of wire segments.

12. The IC of claim 11, wherein a connection also includes a buffer circuit.

13. The IC of claim 11, wherein at least one set of wire segments includes at least two wire segments on at least two different wiring layers of the IC.

14. The IC of claim 13, wherein the set of wire segments with at least two wires includes a set of vias that connect the wire segments.

15. The IC of claim 1, wherein two nodes are similar when they have the same circuit elements.

16. The IC of claim 15, wherein two similar nodes also have the same wiring between their circuit elements.

17. A configurable integrated circuit (“

IC”

) comprising;

a plurality of configurable nodes arranged in an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns;

said configurable nodes including first and second nodes that are similar and that are not on the boundary of the array;

a first connection scheme that specifies a set of connections between the first node and a first set of nodes in the array,

a second connection scheme that specifies a second set of connections between the second node and a second set of nodes in the array, wherein the first and second sets of connections differ, wherein said first connection scheme and said second connection scheme do not use intervening interconnect circuits between nodes, and wherein the first and second nodes cannot connect to any nodes on the boundary of the array with any connection that is specified in either connection scheme.

18. The configurable IC of claim 17 further comprising:

different connection schemes for different groups of configurable nodes, wherein a connection scheme for a group of configurable nodes specifies a set of connections for each node in the group, wherein each connection that is specified for a particular node connects the particular node to another node in the array;

wherein at least two nodes in two different groups are similar and are not on the boundary of the array and cannot connect to any nodes on the boundary of the array with any connection that is specified in any of the connection schemes.

19. The configurable IC of claim 17, wherein the first set of connections in the first connection scheme has a symmetrical relationship with the second set of connections in the second connection scheme.

20. The configurable IC of claim 19, wherein each particular connection in the first connection scheme has a symmetrical relationship with a particular connection in the second connection scheme.