Hybrid Configurable Circuit for a Configurable IC

• US 20070257702A1
• Filed: 04/23/2007
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altera Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Brad Hutchings, Herman Schmit, Steve Teig
• Inventors: Teig, Steven, Hutchings, Brad, Schmit, Herman
• Granted Patent: US 7,521,958 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 326/38
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32145 the bodies being stacked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17704 the logic functions being realised by the interconnection of rows and columns
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17728 Reconfigurable logic blocks, e.g. lookup tables
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17736 Structural details of routing resources
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/17748 Structural details of configuration resources

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention provide a configurable integrated circuit (“IC”). This IC includes several configurable logic circuits for receiving configuration data and configurably performing a set of operations based on the configuration data. It also includes several hybrid circuits. Each particular hybrid circuit has: (1) a set of inputs, (2) a set of outputs for selectively connecting to the set of inputs, and (3) a set of select lines for receiving select signals that direct the hybrid circuit to connect the input set to the output set in a particular manner. At least one select signal is for controllably receiving configuration data and at least one select line is for controllably receiving signals generated by the configurable logic circuits.

Claims

1-27. -27. (canceled)

28. An integrated circuit (IC) comprising:

a) a plurality of configurable logic circuits;

b) a set of configurable input select interconnect circuits associated with each configurable logic circuit, wherein at least one configurable input select interconnect circuits for a particular configurable logic circuit is a hybrid interconnect/logic circuit for serving as a logic circuit to augment a function performed by the configurable logic circuit.

29. The IC of claim 28, wherein a particular hybrid interconnect/logic circuit serves as a logic circuit when the particular hybrid interconnect/logic circuit is configured to act as a logic circuit.

30. The IC of claim 29, wherein the particular hybrid interconnect/logic circuit is further for configuring to only select an input for the logic circuit associated with the particular hybrid interconnect/logic circuit.

31. The IC of claim 28, wherein a configurable hybrid interconnect/logic circuit comprises a set of select lines, wherein the hybrid interconnect/logic circuit augments functions of the associated logic circuit when the hybrid interconnect/logic circuit receives at least one user design signal on its select lines.

32. The IC of claim 31, wherein a configurable hybrid interconnect/logic circuit acts as an interconnect circuit when the hybrid interconnect/logic circuit receives only configuration data on its select lines.

33. The IC of claim 28, wherein when a particular configurable hybrid interconnect/logic circuit is configured to augment functions of a particular N input logic circuit, a combination of the particular logic circuit and the particular hybrid interconnect/logic circuit serves as an N+1 input logic circuit.

37. The IC of claim 28, wherein the IC is a sub-cycle reconfigurable IC, wherein each configurable hybrid interconnect/logic circuit is for configurably serving as a logic circuit or an interconnect circuit on a sub-cycle basis.

34. An integrated circuit (IC) comprising:

a) a plurality of sets of circuits, each particular set of circuits comprising;

i) at least one particular configurable logic circuit;

ii) a set of configurable input select interconnect circuits associated with each logic circuit in the particular set of circuits, wherein at least one configurable input select interconnect circuit of the particular configurable logic circuit is a hybrid interconnect/logic circuit for serving as logic circuits to augment a function performed by the hybrid circuit'"'"'s associated particular logic circuit.

35. The IC of claim 34, wherein each configurable input select interconnect circuit has a set of inputs and only one output, wherein the output of a particular configurable input select interconnect circuit is only connected to an input of the logic circuit associated with the particular input select interconnect circuit.

36. The IC of claim 34, wherein each logic circuit is in a same particular set of circuits as the set of configurable input select interconnect circuits associated with the logic circuit.

38. An electronic device comprising:

an integrated circuit (IC) comprising;

a) a plurality of configurable logic circuits;

b) a set of configurable input select interconnect circuits associated with each configurable logic circuit, wherein at least one configurable input select interconnect circuit for a particular configurable logic circuit is a hybrid interconnect/logic circuit for serving as a logic circuit to augment a function performed by the particular logic circuit.

39. The electronic device of claim 38, wherein a particular configurable hybrid interconnect/logic circuit serves as a logic circuit when the particular configurable hybrid interconnect/logic circuit is configured to act as a logic circuit.

40. The electronic device of claim 38, wherein a configurable hybrid interconnect/logic circuit comprises a set of select lines, wherein the hybrid interconnect/logic circuit augments functions of the associated logic circuit when the hybrid interconnect/logic circuit receives at least one user design signal on its select lines.

41. An integrated circuit (“

IC”

) comprising;

a) a plurality of configurable logic circuits for receiving configuration data and configurably performing a set of operations based on the configuration data; and

b) a plurality of hybrid circuits, each particular hybrid circuit comprising;

1) a set of inputs,

2) a set of outputs for selectively connecting to the set of inputs, and

3) a set of select lines for receiving select signals that direct the hybrid circuit to connect the input set to the output set in a particular manner, wherein a particular hybrid circuit (i) performs an interconnect operation when the particular hybrid circuit receives only configuration data on the set of select lines and (ii) performs a computation when the particular hybrid circuit receives at least one non-configuration data on the set of select lines.

42. The IC of claim 41, wherein at least one hybrid circuit is a configurable input-select interconnect circuit that supplies an input of one of the configurable logic circuits.

43. The IC of claim 41, wherein at least one hybrid circuit is a configurable routing circuit for configurably routing signals.

44. The IC of claim 41, wherein the non-configuration data comprises signals generated internally by the IC.

45. The IC of claim 41, wherein the configurable logic circuits are arranged in an array.

46. The IC of claim 45, wherein the hybrid circuits are interspersed in a repetitive pattern throughout the array.

47. An electronic device comprising:

an integrated circuit (IC) comprising;

a) a plurality of configurable logic circuits for receiving configuration data and configurably performing a set of operations based on the configuration data; and

b) a plurality of hybrid circuits, each particular hybrid circuit comprising;

1) a set of inputs,

2) a set of outputs for selectively connecting to the set of inputs, and

3) a set of select lines for receiving select signals that direct the hybrid circuit to connect the input set to the output set in a particular manner, wherein a particular hybrid circuit (i) performs an interconnect operation when the particular hybrid circuit receives only configuration data on the set of select lines and (ii) performs a computation when the particular hybrid circuit receives at least one non-configuration data on the set of select lines.