Patent ID: 6211697
Filing Date: 2001-04-03
Classification: H03K

Abstract:
An integrated circuit (IC) comprising:a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) that is based on a specific underlying logic and routing structure and that includes a plurality of transistors and memory cells coupled to the specific underlying logic and routing structure for programming the specific underlying logic and routing structure; anda hard array (HA) that is also based on the specific underlying logic and routing structure but which does not include transistors and memory cells coupled to the specific underlying logic and routing structure that are used for programming the specific underlying logic and routing structure, whereinthe FPGA further includes a first set of functional groups that each include memory cells for programming the functional group; andthe HA further includes a second set of functional groups that is equal in number to the first set of functional groups and that are arranged like the first set of functional groups but which do not include memory cells for programming the functional groups.