Patent ID: 7340644

Claim:
A self-reparable semiconductor, comprising: a first functional unit including first, second, and third sub-functional units that cooperate to perform a first function, wherein said first sub-functional unit communicates with said second sub-functional unit over a first signal path and communicates with said third sub-functional unit over a second signal path that passes through said second sub-functional unit; a first spare functional unit including first, second, and third sub-functional units, wherein said first, second, and third sub-functional units of said first functional unit and said first spare functional unit, respectively, are functionally interchangeable; and switching devices that communicate with said first, second, and third sub-functional units of said first functional unit and said first spare functional unit and that replace at least one of said first, second, and third sub-functional units of said first functional unit with at least one of said first, second, and third sub-functional units of said first spare functional unit when said at least one of said first, second, and third sub-functional units of said first functional unit is inoperable.