Patent Publication Number: US-6714050-B2

Title: I/O cell configuration for multiple I/O standards

Description:
This is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/535,064, filed Mar. 23, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,271,679, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/126,235, filed Mar. 24, 1999, which are incorporated by reference along with all references cited in this application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of integrated circuits and more specifically, to output buffer circuitry capable of operating at the output voltage levels needed for a particular application. 
     As semiconductor processing technology continues to advance, integrated circuits or “chips” continue to provide greater functionality and performance. Examples of some integrated circuits include microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and memories such as dynamic random access memories (DRAMs), static random access memories (SRAMs), and nonvolatile memories (Flash and EEPROM). The positive power supply voltage used for integrated circuits of different process technologies is often different. Generally, newer process technologies use reduced positive power supply voltages. For example, previous generation integrated circuit used a supply voltage, VDD or VCC, or 5 volts. More recent integrated circuits used 3.3- and 3-volt power supplies. Some current integrated circuits use 2.5-volt power supplies. In the future, it is expected supply voltages will be further reduced to 2 volts and lower. Some of the expected power supply voltages will be 1.2 volts, 1 volt, and 0.8 volts. Therefore, each generation of integrated circuits is compatible with a particular power supply voltage and input and output standard. 
     In an electronic system, it is often desirable that an integrated circuit compatible with one input-output standard can be used with integrated circuits of other input-output standards. Among the many advantages of having such a chip, the integrated circuit customer can used that particular chip on a system board with chips of other input-output standards. The integrated circuit manufacturer can produce one chip that is compatible with current and previous generation technology. 
     Furthermore, when there are emerging I/O standards for integrated circuits such as for a low voltage TTL (LVTTL) output or low voltage differential signal (LVDS) output, the different standards often have different voltages for VOH and VOL. Until a uniform standard is adapted, it is desirable for integrated circuit makers to design their products to be compatible with as many of the standards as possible. This will increase the overall potential market for a particular product. 
     Therefore, there is a need for an output circuitry that is adaptable or configurable to different I/O standards. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides circuitry to individually configure each I/O of an integrated circuit to different LVTTL I/O standards. This is done with only one I/O supply voltage, where that voltage is the highest of the I/O voltages needed in a particular application. The invention operates by regulating the output voltage of the I/O cell so that it is above the VOH and below the maximum VIH for the LVTTL standard for which it will comply with. Since each I/O cell is individually configurable, any I/O can drive out to any LVTTL specification. 
     In an embodiment, the present invention is a programmable logic integrated circuit including a group of first I/O circuits connected to a supply voltage and a first configurable reference voltage. There is also a group of second I/O circuits connected to the supply voltage and a second configurable reference voltage. The first configurable reference voltage is different from the second configurable reference voltage. The group of first I/O circuits is compatible with a first I/O voltage standard based on the first configurable reference voltage and the group of second I/O circuits compatible with a second I/O voltage standard based on the second configurable reference voltage. 
     In one implementation, each I/O circuit includes a first transistor connected between the supply voltage and a first node with a control electrode connected to a voltage level equal to the first reference voltage plus a threshold voltage of the first transistor. The circuitry includes a second transistor connected between the first node and a pad and a third transistor connected between the pad and ground. In a specific circuit implementation, the first transistor is NMOS, the second transistor in PMOS, and the first transistor is at least about ten times larger in size than the second transistor. In other implementation, the first transistor may be less than ten times larger than the second transistor. 
     In another implementation, each I/O circuit includes a first transistor connected between the supply voltage and a pad. A second transistor is connected between the pad and ground. A logic gate has an output connected to a control electrode of the first transistor. And, a differential amplifier circuit has a first input connected to the pad and a second input connected to the second reference voltage. The differential amplifier provides an output to an input of the logic gate, where the output is a logic high when a voltage at the second input is higher than a voltage at the first input and the output is a logic low when the voltage at the first input is higher than the voltage at the second input. 
     In another embodiment, the invention is a method of operating a programmable logic integrated circuit. A first reference voltage level is programmably selected to be connected to a first I/O circuit to select a first I/O standard the first I/O circuit will be compatible with. A second reference voltage level is programmably selected to be connected to a second I/O circuit to select a second I/O standard the second I/O circuit will be compatible with. 
     In another embodiment, the invention is an integrated circuit including a first transistor connected between a supply voltage and a first node, where a control electrode of the first transistor is connected to a reference voltage. A second transistor is connected between the first node and an output pad of the integrated circuit, where a voltage output high level at the pad will be the lesser of the reference voltage level or the supply voltage. 
     In another embodiment, the invention is an integrated circuit including a differential amplifier having a first input connected to a pad of the integrated circuit and a second input connected to a reference voltage. A pull-up transistor is connected between a supply voltage and the pad. And a logic gate having an output connected to a control electrode of the pull-up transistor and an input is connected to an output of the differential amplifier. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which like reference designations represent like features throughout the figures. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is diagram of a digital system with a programmable logic integrated circuit; 
     FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an architecture of a programmable logic integrated circuit; 
     FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of a logic array block (LAB); 
     FIG. 4 shows an architecture of a programmable logic integrated circuit with embedded array blocks (EABs); 
     FIG. 5 shows an architecture of a programmable logic integrated circuit with megaLABs; 
     FIG. 6 shows a first circuit implementation of output buffer circuitry configurable to multiple I/O standards; 
     FIG. 7 shows a second circuit implementation of output buffer circuitry configurable to multiple I/O standards; 
     FIG. 8 shows a I/O configuration circuit including a standard I/O buffer circuit and a multiple standard I/O buffer circuit; 
     FIG. 9 shows an implementation of an I/O buffer circuit; and 
     FIG. 10 shows I/O circuits of an integrated circuit connected to the same supply voltage and compatible with more than one different I/O standard. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a digital system within which the present invention may be embodied. The system may be provided on a single board, on multiple boards, or even within multiple enclosures. FIG. 1 illustrates a system  101  in which a programmable logic device  121  may be utilized. Programmable logic devices are sometimes referred to as a PALs, PLAs, FPLAs, PLDs, CPLDs, EPLDs, EEPLDs, LCAs, or FPGAs and are well-known integrated circuits that provide the advantages of fixed integrated circuits with the flexibility of custom integrated circuits. Such devices allow a user to electrically program standard, off-the-shelf logic elements to meet a user&#39;s specific needs. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,479, incorporated by reference for all purposes. Programmable logic devices are currently represented by, for example, Altera&#39;s MAX®, FLEX®, and APEX™ series of PLDs. These are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,871,930, 5,241,224, 5,258,668, 5,260,610, 5,260,611, 5,436,575, and the  Altera Data Book  (1999), all incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. Programmable logic integrated circuits and their operation are well known to those of skill in the art. 
     In the particular embodiment of FIG. 1, a processing unit  101  is coupled to a memory  105  and an I/O  111  and incorporates a programmable logic device (PLD)  121 . PLD  121  may be specially coupled to memory  105  through connection  131  and to I/O  111  through connection  135 . The system may be a programmed digital computer system, digital signal processing system, specialized digital switching network, or other processing system. Moreover, such systems may be designed for a wide variety of applications such as, merely by way of example, telecommunications systems, automotive systems, control systems, consumer electronics, personal computers, and others. 
     Processing unit  101  may direct data to an appropriate system component for processing or storage, execute a program stored in memory  105  or input using I/O  111 , or other similar function. Processing unit  101  may be a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, floating point coprocessor, graphics coprocessor, hardware controller, microcontroller, programmable logic device programmed for use as a controller, or other processing unit. Furthermore, in many embodiments, there is often no need for a CPU. For example, instead of a CPU, one or more PLDs  121  may control the logical operations of the system. In some embodiments, processing unit  101  may even be a computer system. Memory  105  may be a random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), fixed or flexible disk media, PC Card flash disk memory, tape, or any other storage retrieval means, or any combination of these storage retrieval means. PLD  121  may serve many different purposes within the system in FIG.  1 . PLD  121  may be a logical building block of processing unit  101 , supporting its internal and external operations. PLD  121  is programmed to implement the logical functions necessary to carry on its particular role in system operation. 
     FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of an overall internal architecture and organization of PLD  121  of FIG.  1 . Many details of PLD architecture, organization, and circuit design are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention and such details are not shown in FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 2 shows a six-by-six two-dimensional array of thirty-six logic array blocks (LABs)  200 . LAB  200  is a physically grouped set of logical resources that is configured or programmed to perform logical functions. The internal architecture of a LAB will be described in more detail below in connection with FIG.  3 . PLDs may contain any arbitrary number of LABs, more or less than shown in PLD  121  of FIG.  2 . Generally, in the future, as technology advances and improves, programmable logic devices with greater numbers of logic array blocks will undoubtedly be created. Furthermore, LABs  200  need not be organized in a square matrix or array; for example, the array may be organized in a five-by-seven or a twenty-by-seventy matrix of LABs. 
     LAB  200  has inputs and outputs (not shown) which may or may not be programmably connected to a global interconnect structure, comprising an array of global horizontal interconnects (GHs)  210  and global vertical interconnects (GVs)  220 . Although shown as single lines in FIG. 2, each GH  210  and GV  220  line may represent a plurality of signal conductors. The inputs and outputs of LAB  200  are programmably connectable to an adjacent GH  210  and an adjacent GV  220 . Utilizing GH  210  and GV  220  interconnects, multiple LABs  200  may be connected and combined to implement larger, more complex logic functions than can be realized using a single LAB  200 . 
     In one embodiment, GH  210  and GV  220  conductors may or may not be programmably connectable at intersections  225  of these conductors. Moreover, GH  210  and GV  220  conductors may make multiple connections to other GH  210  and GV  220  conductors. Various GH  210  and GV  220  conductors may be programmably connected together to create a signal path from a LAB  200  at one location on PLD  121  to another LAB  200  at another location on PLD  121 . A signal may pass through a plurality of intersections  225 . Furthermore, an output signal from one LAB  200  can be directed into the inputs of one or more LABs  200 . Also, using the global interconnect, signals from a LAB  200  can be fed back into the same LAB  200 . In specific embodiments of the present invention, only selected GH  210  conductors are programmably connectable to a selection of GV  220  conductors. Furthermore, in still further embodiments, GH  210  and GV  220  conductors may be specifically used for passing signal in a specific direction, such as input or output, but not both. 
     In other embodiments, the programmable logic integrated circuit may include special or segmented interconnect that is connected to a specific number of LABs and not necessarily an entire row or column of LABs. For example, the segmented interconnect may programmably connect two, three, four, five, or more LABs. 
     The PLD architecture in FIG. 2 further shows at the peripheries of the chip, input-output drivers  230 . Input-output drivers  230  are for interfacing the PLD to external, off-chip circuitry. FIG. 2 shows thirty-two input-output drivers  230 ; however, a PLD may contain any number of input-output drivers, more or less than the number depicted. Each input-output driver  230  is configurable for use as an input driver, output driver, or bidirectional driver. In other embodiments of a programmable logic integrated circuit, the input-output drivers may be embedded with the integrated circuit core itself. This embedded placement of the input-output drivers may be used with flip chip packaging and will minimize the parasitics of routing the signals to input-output drivers. 
     FIG. 3 shows a simplified block diagram of LAB  200  of FIG.  2 . LAB  200  is comprised of a varying number of logic elements (LEs)  300 , sometimes referred to as “logic cells,” and a local (or internal) interconnect structure  310 . LAB  200  has eight LEs  300 , but LAB  200  may have any number of LEs, more or less than eight. 
     A general overview of LE  300  is presented here, sufficient to provide a basic understanding of the present invention. LE  300  is the smallest logical building block of a PLD. Signals external to the LAB, such as from GHs  210  and GVs  220 , are programmably connected to LE  300  through local interconnect structure  310 . In one embodiment, LE  300  of the present invention incorporates a function generator that is configurable to provide a logical function of a number of variables, such a four-variable Boolean operation. As well as combinatorial functions, LE  300  also provides support for sequential and registered functions using, for example, D flip-flops. 
     LE  300  provides combinatorial and registered outputs that are connectable to the GHs  210  and GVs  220 , outside LAB  200 . Furthermore, the outputs from LE  300  may be internally fed back into local interconnect structure  310 ; through local interconnect structure  310 , an output from one LE  300  may be programmably connected to the inputs of other LEs  300 , without using the global interconnect structure&#39;s GHs  210  and GVs  220 . Local interconnect structure  310  allows short-distance interconnection of LEs, without utilizing the limited global resources, GHs  210  and GVs  220 . 
     FIG. 4 shows a PLD architecture similar to that in FIG.  2 . The architecture in FIG. 4 further includes embedded array blocks (EABs). EABs contain user memory, a flexible block of RAM. More discussion of this architecture may be found in the  Altera Data Book  (1999) in the description of the FLEX 10K product family and also in U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,782, which are incorporated by reference. 
     FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of a programmable logic integrated circuit architecture. FIG. 5 only shows a portion of the architecture. The features shown in FIG. 5 are repeated horizontally and vertically as needed to create a PLD of any desired size. In this architecture, a number of LABs are grouped together into a megaLAB. In a specific embodiment, a megaLAB has sixteen LABs, each of which has ten LEs. There can be any number of megaLABs per PLD. A megaLAB is programmably connected using a megaLAB interconnect. This megaLAB interconnect may be considered another interconnect level that is between the global interconnect and local interconnect levels. The megaLAB interconnect can be programmably connected to GVs, GHs, and the local interconnect of each LAB of the megaLAB. Compared to the architecture of FIG. 2, this architecture has an additional level of interconnect, the megaLAB interconnect. Such an architecture is found in Altera&#39;s APEX™ family of products, which is described in detail in the  APEX  20 K Programmable Logic Device Family Data Sheet  (August 1999), which is incorporated by reference. In a specific implementation, a megaLAB also includes an embedded system block (ESB) to implement a variety of memory functions such as CAM, RAM, dual-port RAM, ROM, and FIFO functions. 
     VCC voltages for integrated circuits continue to change and generally are being reduced. Some VCC voltages today are 5 volts, 3.3 volts, 2.5 volts, and 1.8 volts. For each of these VCC, there is also an accompanying specification for VOH and other I/O parameters. For some integrated circuits, one group of I/O pins may be used to support a particular VCC and VOH standard while another group supports another standard. For example, some I/O pins may be used for the 5-volt standards while other I/O pins are for use with the 3.3-volt standard. It is important that the output buffer circuitry is adaptable to facilitate compatibility with multiple and changing standards. One technique to implement multiple standards is to use different VCCs for different I/O pins. However, this technique requires separate I/O buffers for each standard, which will take more integrated circuit area. 
     Another technique is to use a single VCC voltage and to configure the circuitry to provide a desired voltage output high (VOH) voltage to support a particular standard. FIGS. 6 and 7 show two implementations of output buffer circuitry to provide a configurable VOH voltage. By providing a configurable VOH voltage, this reduces the amount of integrated circuit area used because separate buffers for each of the different VCCs is no longer needed. The circuits shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 may be used to implement the configurable I/O cell of a programmable logic device. The I/O buffers in FIGS. 6 and 7 are simplified to better illustrate of the principles of the present invention. The techniques of these two circuits can also be combined into a single circuit to benefit from each implementation&#39;s strengths. 
     A VREF voltage is shown in the FIGS. 6 and 7. This VREF voltage may be generated internally within the integrated circuit. Or, VREF may be supplied from an external source. For example, the VREF may be generated from the supply voltage of the destination integrated circuit the I/O buffer will be driving. The VREF may be provided by an external VREF generator. There will be a VREF voltage for each LVTTL I/O standard supported. For example, different I/O pins of the same integrated circuit may support multiple LVTTL I/O standards. The particular I/O pin will be connected to the appropriate VREF voltage. Also, the VREF voltage may be generated using a programmable VREF generator. By programming the VREF generator appropriately, an I/O can be set to conform to a desired LVTTL I/O standard. 
     There is also the likelihood the LVTTL specifications for emerging supply voltage standards will be defined in the future with lower VOH and VIH max values than used presently. The technique of the present invention will allow the integrated circuit to adapt to these yet undefined and unavailable standards. If the VREF comes from an external source such as generated based on the destination integrated circuit, new LVTTL standards can be immediately supported with existing integrated circuits containing this invention by applying the new supply voltage of the destination device to the invention integrated circuit&#39;s VREF. 
     If the VREF is generated on-chip, the VREF generated can be made programmable with enough gradations in settings so new LVTTL standards can be supported. The VREF generator is programmed to generate a VREF voltage level to set the VOH to meet the new standard. This is particularly easy to implement in programmable logic integrated circuits (e.g., FPGAs, PLDs, memories, EPROMs, EEPROMs, Flash EEPROMs) since these devices are programmed before use. Therefore, programming of these devices is already part of their use. 
     In the FIG. 6 embodiment, the output drivers are a PMOS transistor  605  and NMOS transistor  607 . These transistors are driven by a predriver circuit  610 . Transistor  605  is connected to VCCN through a NMOS transistor TN 1 . VCCN is a noisy VCC. VCCN is used in a integrated circuit implementation where there is a VCCQ or quiet VCC for internal circuitry and VCCN for the I/O circuitry. By providing separate VCCQ and VCCN pins, this helps isolate noisy circuitry from the circuitry that may be sensitive to power supply noise. Other integrated circuit implementation may only have a VCC pin for both noisy and quiet circuitry. 
     Predriver circuit drives transistors  605  and  607  to cause output node  620  to be high, low, or tristate. A gate of transistor TN 1  is supplied with a voltage VREF+VTN 1 , where VTN 1  is the threshold voltage of the TN 1  device. Consequently, if VREF is less than VCCN, the source of transistor  605  will be at about VREF. If VCCN is less than VREF, then the source of transistor  605  will be about VCCN. Therefore, the VOH voltage at an output node  620  will be the lesser of either VREF or VCCN. 
     In order to obtain good transient characteristics, transistor TN 1  should be quite large. TN 1  should be larger or very much larger than PMOS transistor  605 . For example, in one implementation, transistor TN 1  is at least about ten times larger in size than PMOS transistor  605 . One reason why a relatively large TN 1  is needed is because the TN 1  device is likely to be barely on. A larger-sized device will supply greater current, especially when the device is not fully on. 
     The implementation in FIG. 7 is a technique to obtain a configurable VOH circuit without using the TN 1  transistor of the FIG. 6 circuit. In the FIG. 7 embodiment, there are output drivers PMOS transistor  705  and NMOS transistor  707 , which are connected in series between VCCN and ground. An output  720  is taken from between transistors  705  and  707 . An A input of a differential amplifier  205  is connected to an output node  720 . And, a B input of differential amplifier  205  is connected to a VREF voltage. An output C of the differential amplifier is connected to a logic gate  230 . In this implementation, logic gate  230  is an OR gate. However, other types of logic gates may be used to implement a similar function. For example, pass transistors may be used instead. The differential amplifier will output a logic level of 1 if a voltage at A is greater than a voltage at B and a 0 otherwise. Therefore, the VOH voltage at output node  220  will be the lesser of either VREF or VCCN. 
     FIG. 7 may optionally include a leaker device  735  to maintain VOH statically. The leaker device would be a relatively small-sized transistor to ensure the output high voltage is above the VOH required for input by another integrated circuit. The control electrode or gate of the leaker device may be connected to a reference voltage or VCCN. The reference voltage for the leaker device can be an internally generated voltage level. PMOS transistor  705  by itself will “dynamically” hold the pad at VOH. If the voltage of the pad drops slightly below VOH, PMOS  705  transistor will turn on to pull the pad up to VOH. However, with PMOS transistor  705  alone, the pad may exhibit some fluctuations as transistor  705  turns on and off. When transistor  705  is used in combination with leaker device  735 , leaker device  735  tends to stabilize the voltage at the pad and dampen fluctuations. 
     For the highest performance when using the FIG. 7 embodiment, a standard I/O cell can be placed in parallel with the FIG. 7 circuitry at output node  720 . The standard I/O cell would provide standard VCCN support while the circuitry in FIG. 7 would provide support for multiple I/O standards. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of such an implementation. I/O circuit  230  includes both a standard I/O cell and multiple standard I/O circuit. The multiple standard circuit may include the circuitry shown in FIG. 6 or  7 , or both, as well as other circuit technique to implement an multiple I/O standard output circuit. 
     FIG. 9 shows a specific implementation of a standard I/O cell. This implementation is especially designed for use in a programmable logic device because of the flexible logic, but may also be used in other types of integrated circuits. For example, the configurable I/O circuit of the present invention may be used as the output buffer circuit between the output register and the pad. 
     FIG. 10 shows a number of I/O circuits of an integrated circuit. All of the I/O circuits are connected to the same supply voltage, VCCN. The supply voltage should be the highest supply voltage needed by any of the I/O standards. Two of the I/O circuits  1015  are connected to a first VREF voltage VREF 1  and two of the I/O circuits  1025  are connected to a second VREF voltage VREF 2 . By using the I/O circuitry of the present invention such as shown in FIG. 6 or  7 , I/O circuits  1015  will be compatible with a first I/O standard and I/O circuits  1025  will be compatible with a second I/O standard. The first and second I/O standards are different while a single supply voltage VCCN is supplied to all the I/O circuits. The circuitry of the present invention eliminates the need to use different supply voltages to be compatible with different I/O standards. Among the many advantages of this circuitry, this circuitry saves space on the integrated circuit. 
     This description of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications. This description will enable others skilled in the art to best utilize and practice the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to a particular use. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.