FPGA with hybrid interconnect
View Patent ↗An Application-Specific Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device or fabric is described for use in applications requiring fast reconfigurability of devices in the field, enabling multiple personalities for re-using silicon resources (like arrays of large multipliers in DSP applications) from moment-to-moment for implementing different hardware algorithms. In a general purpose FPGA device or fabric, this fast reconfigurability is normally implemented by special reconfiguration support circuitry and/or additional configuration memory. Unfortunately, this flexibility requires a large amount of programmable routing resource and silicon area—limiting the viability in volume production applications. This invention describes how multi-program FPGA functionalities may be migrated to smaller die by constructing hybrid FPGA/ASIC implementations that retain the multi-program capability. Also described is a multi-program FPGA fabric architecture that uses a hybrid FPGA/ASIC interconnect structure, resulting in a much smaller silicon area when customized for a particular user application.
1. A method for constructing an integrated circuit to implement custom logic functionality, comprising:
constructing diffusion and metal layers to construct a generic array of logic cells and field programmable switches, including a plurality of unconnected field programmable switches and unconnected logic cells; and
choosing a netlist corresponding to a particular end-user application to be implemented; and
completing the fabrication of said integrated circuit for the specific initial overall functionality of said particular end-user application by implementing in additional metal layers, a final connection layout with custom hard-wired metal connections between some of said unconnected logic cells and also incorporating custom hard-wired metal connections between some of said unconnected logic cells and said unconnected field programmable switches.
2. The method of claim 1 , where said final connection layout also includes a plurality of uncommitted field programmable switches that are not required to implement said particular end-user application, such that alterations to the overall connectivity can be made in the field at a later time.
3. The method of claim 1 , where said final connection layout also includes a plurality of uncommitted logic cells and uncommitted field programmable switches that are not required to implement said particular end-user application such that additional logic functionality can be field-programmably added to said initial overall functionality, such that alterations or additions to the overall logic functionality of said integrated circuit can be made in the field at a later time.