Patent ID: 7852115

Claim:
An apparatus for connecting a load track ( 3 ) of a programmable interconnect to a plurality of intersecting driver tracks ( 2 ) of the programmable interconnect, the apparatus comprising a chain of connection cells ( 9 ; 15 ), each connection cell being operable to connect the load track of the programmable interconnect to an associated intersecting driver track, each cell comprising: connection signal receiving means arranged to receive a connection signal; activation signal receiving means arranged to receive an activation signal; connection means arranged to connect the load track of the programmable interconnect to the associated intersecting driver track of the programmable interconnect when the connection signal receiving means has received a connection signal and the activation signal receiving means has received an activation signal; and activation signal propagating means arranged to propagate the activation signal to the next cell in the chain when the connection signal receiving means has not received a connection signal and the activation signal receiving means has received an activation signal.