Patent ID: 8166439
Filing Date: 2012-04-24
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. In a data processing system, a method of implementing an engineering change order for a circuit design, the method comprising: receiving an engineering change order; determining spares that are available to implement a modification to a circuit design associated with the engineering change order, wherein the spares are disconnected logic circuit components within a circuit design, which components have inputs and outputs situated in a manner that enables the use of the component for a later modification of the circuit design and the components continue to occupy chip area; selecting, by the data processing system, one of the available spares to implement the modification to the circuit design based on: integrating modified logic comprising the selected spare from the available spares into an existing circuit design in order to achieve a desired correction in a logic of an overall circuit design; and in response to determining the engineering change order to the circuit design is not capable of being implemented using spares, implementing the engineering change order utilizing gates from a filler cell of the circuit design.