Patent ID: 6977521

Claim:
A crossover switch adapted for use in an interconnect structure of a field programmable gate array (FPGA), said crossover switch for switching a propagating signal between any one of a first, a second, and a third vertical lines to any one of a first, a second, and a third intersecting horizontal lines, said crossover switch located at the intersection of said three intersecting horizontal lines and said three vertical lines, said crossover switch comprising: an island node at a cross-section of the first vertical and the first horizontal lines, wherein the island node divides each of the first vertical and the first horizontal lines into a first and a second part, and wherein the island node is configured to receive a signal on one of said three vertical lines or one of said three horizontal lines and selectively route said signal to one of said three vertical lines or one of said three horizontal lines; and eight programmable switches that when programmed are configured to connect each of said three vertical lines and each of said three intersecting horizontal lines to said island node, wherein: each one of four of the eight programmable switches connects the island node to one of the first and the second parts of the first vertical line and the first and the second parts of the first horizontal line; and each one of remaining four of the eight programmable switches connects the island node to one of the second and the third vertical and the second and the third horizontal lines.