Lattice Semiconductor Corporation Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20150347642 | LOGIC ABSORPTION TECHNIQUES FOR PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC DEVICES - Various techniques are provided to efficiently implement user designs in programmable logic devices (PLDs). In one example, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a design identifying operations to be performed by a programmable logic device (PLD). The computer-implemented method also includes synthesizing the design into a plurality of PLD components comprising a first logic block cascaded into a second logic block. In the computer-implemented method, the second logic block implements a multiplexer adapted to selectively pass a first multi-bit input signal received from the first logic block or a second multi-bit input signal. The computer-implemented method also includes further synthesizing the design to absorb the multiplexer into the first logic block. | 12-03-2015 |
20150340103 | Embedded Memory Testing Using Back-To-Back Write/Read Operations - In one embodiment, a BIST (built-in self-test) engine performs BIST testing of embedded memory in an integrated circuit device (e.g., an FPGA) via an (e.g., hard-wired, dedicated, low-latency) bus from the configuration bitstream engine. During BIST testing, data is written into the embedded memory at-speed, which may require the bitstream engine to produce a higher frequency than originally used for configuration. Between consecutive write operations, the BIST engine is capable of reading the previously written set of data from the embedded memory and comparing that read-back data with the corresponding original set of data to determine whether a BIST error has occurred. By performing back-to-back write/read-back operations faster than the configuration speed and using a dedicated W/RB bus, BIST testing can be optimally performed without false-positive-invoking delays and undesirable resource utilization. | 11-26-2015 |
20150324509 | PARTITION BASED DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION FOR PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC DEVICES - Various techniques are provided to generate designs for programmable logic devices (PLDs). In one example, a computer-implemented method includes selectively grouping a first plurality of logic components for a first design into a plurality of partitions. The method also includes selectively merging at least a subset of the partitions of the first design. The method also includes converting each partition into a corresponding first physical implementation for a PLD. The method also includes comparing the first plurality of logic components to a second plurality of logic components for a second design to identify changed and unchanged partitions. The method also includes converting each changed partition into a corresponding second physical implementation for the PLD. The method also includes combining the first physical implementations for the unchanged partitions, with the second physical implementations for the changed partitions. | 11-12-2015 |
20150286240 | TRANSISTOR MATCHING FOR GENERATION OF PRECISE CURRENT RATIOS - Systems and methods are provided for generating accurate current ratios from a current mirror including an array of output transistor and a corresponding array of switches. Each switch couples in series with its corresponding output transistor. A control logic circuit controls the switches to cancel mismatches for the output transistors. | 10-08-2015 |
20150248512 | COMPONENT PLACEMENT WITH REPACKING FOR PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC DEVICES - Systems and methods are disclosed herein to provide improved placement of components in programmable logic devices (PLDs). In one example, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a design identifying operations to be performed by a PLD. The method also includes determining a layout comprising positions of components of the PLD configured to perform the operations. The method also includes performing a timing analysis on the layout. The method also includes selectively adjusting the positions of the components using the timing analysis. Related systems and non-transitory machine-readable mediums are also provided. | 09-03-2015 |
20150222258 | COLLECTOR CURRENT DRIVER FOR A BIPOLAR JUNCTION TRANSISTOR TEMPERATURE TRANSDUCER - In one embodiment, a collector current driver is provided that controls the collector current for a bipolar transistor temperature transducer. The collector current driver is configured to use negative feedback to generate an emitter current for the bipolar transistor responsive to target current. | 08-06-2015 |
20150199291 | Communicating with MIPI-Compliant Devices Using Non-MIPI Interfaces - Using relatively inexpensive, external resistor networks, an electronic device, such as an FPGA, can be configured to use non-MIPI interfaces to communicate with one or more MIPI-compliant devices, such as video sources (e.g., cameras) and sinks (e.g., displays). High-speed (HS) and low-power (LP) MIPI signaling for each MIPI clock/data lane is supported by a set of one or more non-MIPI interfaces, such as LVDS and/or LVCMOS receivers, transmitters, and/or transceivers, and an appropriate, corresponding, external resistor network. For configurations in which the resistor-configured electronic device can handle high-speed MIPI data from a MIPI-compliant device, the electronic device can detect transitions in the MIPI mode of the MIPI-compliant device. In some configurations, the resistor-configured electronic device can provide high-speed MIPI data to a MIPI-compliant device. In either case, the electronic device configures the non-MIPI interfaces to support the current MIPI HS/LP mode. | 07-16-2015 |
20150194953 | Hot-Socket Circuitry - In one embodiment, an integrated circuit has hot-socket circuitry to protect I/O drivers during hot-socket events. The hot-socket circuitry has (i) N-well-to-pad switcher circuitry that ties driver PMOS N-wells to pads when the pad voltages are greater than the power-supply voltage and (ii) N-well-to-power-supply switcher circuitry that ties the driver PMOS N-wells to the power supply when the pad voltages are less than the power-supply voltage. The hot-socket circuitry also has a special PMOS device connected between the pad and a gate of at least one other PMOS device in the N-well-to-power-supply switcher circuitry to turn off the N-well-to-power-supply switcher circuitry quickly whenever the pad voltage is greater than the power-supply voltage. Applying a reduced power-supply voltage level to the gate of the special PMOS device enables the hot-socket circuitry to be implemented without having to use low Vt devices and without having to implement substantially large drive strengths. | 07-09-2015 |
20150178437 | GROUP BASED ROUTING IN PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC DEVICE - Various techniques are provided to route connections within a programmable logic device (PLD). In one example, a method includes determining timing slacks for connections described in a netlist for a programmable logic device (PLD). The method also includes determining a plurality of priority groups. The connections are associated with one or more of the priority groups based on the timing slacks. The method also includes routing the connections associated with each priority group, from a highest priority group to a lowest priority group. Each priority group is iteratively routed to remove routing conflicts before lower priority groups are routed. Additional methods, systems, machine-readable mediums, and other techniques are also provided. | 06-25-2015 |
20150178436 | CLOCK ASSIGNMENTS FOR PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC DEVICE - Various techniques are provided to perform clock assignments in a programmable logic device (PLD). In one example, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a design identifying operations to be performed by a programmable logic device (PLD), synthesizing the design into a plurality of components of the PLD configured to perform the operations, and performing a simulated annealing process to determine a layout of the components in the PLD based on a system cost including a clock assignment cost for global clock signals of the PLD. Additional methods, systems, machine-readable mediums, and other techniques are also provided. | 06-25-2015 |
20150155707 | ESD PROTECTION USING SHARED RC TRIGGER - In one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes multiple I/O banks, each bank having multiple I/O-ESD tiles, each tile having one or more I/O circuits and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuitry for the one or more I/O circuits in the tile. The ESD circuitry for one tile includes at least one RC-triggered clamp, whose resistance is provided by a resistor shared by one or more other RC-triggered clamps in one or more other tiles of the same bank and whose capacitance is provided by a combination of distributed capacitors, one for each of those two or more RC-triggered clamps. Each tile may have multiple instances of such RC-triggered clamps providing ESD protection for different (e.g., power supply and/or bus) nodes. The shared resistors are variable to allow different instances of the same ESD circuitry design to be implemented with the same time constant for different banks having different numbers of tiles. | 06-04-2015 |
20150124419 | Partially Depopulated Interconnection Arrays for Packaged Semiconductor Devices and Printed Circuit Boards - In one embodiment, a ball grid array (BGA) of a packaged semiconductor device and a corresponding landing pad array of a printed circuit board each have a layout defined by an interconnection array having (i) an inner sub-array of locations having connectors arranged in rows and columns separated by a specified pitch and (ii) an outer rectangular ring of locations having connectors arranged in rows and columns separated by the specified pitch. The outer rectangular ring is separated from the inner sub-array by a depopulated rectangular ring having a width of at least twice the specified pitch, wherein the depopulated rectangular ring has no connectors. The outer rectangular ring has empty locations having no connectors. Some of those empty locations define depopulated sets that divide the outer rectangular ring into a number of different contiguous sets of locations having connectors that enable pin escape for connectors of the device's BGA. | 05-07-2015 |
20150095534 | Serdes Interface Architecture for Multi-Processor Systems - A local device, such as a field-programmable gate array, has a local state machine and a local interface component for communicating with a remote device that implements a remote state machine. The local interface component receives a new set of incoming data from the remote device and determines whether the new set is good data or bad data. If good data, then the local interface component causes the new set of data to transmitted internally for use by the local state machine. If bad data, then the local interface component does not forward the new set of data to the local state machine, which instead continues to use a previously received set of good data. Although the clock rate of the local and remote state machines may differ from the frame rate of the local interface component, their operations are nevertheless synchronized. | 04-02-2015 |
20150022233 | Stable Supply-Side Reference Over Extended Voltage Range With Hot-Plugging Compatibility - In one embodiment, the operating range of an over-current detection circuit is extended to higher input voltage levels by providing a reference-voltage generation circuit for the detection circuit with voltage protection circuitry that applies an additional voltage drop to shield other vulnerable transistor devices from the higher input voltages. In addition, bypass circuitry is provided that is inactive at the highest input voltage levels, but actively bypasses at least some of the voltage protection circuitry at relatively low input voltage levels to apply a voltage drop that is sufficient to ensure proper operation of the vulnerable transistor devices at the low voltage levels. In one implementation, the vulnerable transistor devices are NFET devices in a programmable current minor of the reference-voltage generation circuit. In addition, a stiffened voltage divider helps to ensure sufficient voltage drop at the low voltage levels. The protection and bypass circuitry also enable hot-socketing operations. | 01-22-2015 |
20140335631 | SEMICONDUCTOR DEFECT CHARACTERIZATION - The defect-containing die identified from an inspection layer analysis subsequent to a manufacturing step for a wafer including a plurality of die and as well as the faulty die identified from a fault testing of the wafer are processed to identify a subset of the die that both contain a defect and are faulty. A probability analysis is performed to determine a confidence level of whether the die in the subset are faulty due to their defects. | 11-13-2014 |
20140233326 | LOW-VOLTAGE CURRENT SENSE AMPLIFER - In one embodiment, an integrated programmable device has a plurality of current sense amplifiers for reading data from non-volatile memory and a reference generator that provides common bias reference voltages to the sense amplifiers. The sense amplifiers can read data from the non-volatile memory at low power supply voltage levels (e.g., 750 mV) relative to the nominal supply level (e.g., 1.2V). Each sense amplifier has a trans-impedance amplifier that converts a memory bit-line current into a voltage level indicative of whether a selected memory cell is programmed or erased. The trans-impedance amplifier has a current mirror with a high-threshold regeneration device that lowers the sense amplifier's range of operating voltages. Each sense amplifier also has a level-shifted inverter that further lowers the sense amplifier's operating voltage range. The reference generator generates a ground-referenced bias voltage that each sense amplifier or group of sense amplifiers converts into a local, supply-referenced bias voltage. | 08-21-2014 |
20140136914 | HIGHLY SECURE AND EXTENSIVE SCAN TESTING OF INTEGRATED CIRCUITS - In one embodiment, an integrated circuit chip has an input/output (I/O) interface and programmable fabric. The I/O interface restricts access to scan testing of the chip by requiring (1) a specific scan-testing instruction, (2) a specific manufacturing key, and (3) a specific fabric pattern value from a specific set of registers in the programmed fabric. In addition or alternatively, the I/O interface has circuitry that enables scan testing of most of the logic of the I/O interface itself, including the logic being driven by the JTAG TAP state register. | 05-15-2014 |
20140109031 | CONFIGURATION OF SELECTED MODULES OF A HARDWARE BLOCK WITHIN A PROGRAMMABLE LOGIC DEVICE - Various techniques are provided to configure embedded hardware resources of a programmable logic device (PLD). In one example, a method includes receiving configuration information for a plurality of hardware modules of an embedded hardware block of a PLD. The configuration information is received from a user of a computer system external to the PLD. The method also includes generating a plurality of models of the hardware block. The method also includes merging the generated models into a combined model of the hardware block. The combined model includes the configuration information received for the hardware modules of the hardware block. Related systems and additional techniques are also provided. | 04-17-2014 |
20140105265 | LOSS OF SIGNAL DETECTION FOR HIGH-SPEED SERIAL LINKS - In one embodiment, a loss-of-signal detector is provided that is immune to variations in common mode voltage for a received differential input signal. The loss-of-signal detector is configured is to use a reference voltage that depends upon the common mode voltage. | 04-17-2014 |
20140104934 | Leakage-Current Abatement Circuity for Memory Arrays - In one memory array embodiment, in order to compensate for bit-line leakage currents by OFF-state bit-cell access devices, a leakage-current reference circuit tracks access-device leakage current over different process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) conditions to generate a leakage-current reference voltage that drives a different leakage-current abatement device connected to each different bit-line to inject currents into the bit-lines to compensate for the corresponding leakage currents. In one implementation, the leakage-current reference circuit has a device that mimics the leakage of each access device configured in a current mirror that drives the resulting leakage-current reference voltage to the different leakage-current abatement devices. | 04-17-2014 |
20140009194 | PHASE LOCKED LOOP CIRCUIT WITH SELECTABLE FEEDBACK PATHS - In one embodiment, a phase locked loop (PLL) circuit in a device includes selectable feedback paths and a multiplexer. An internal feedback path is adapted to pass a first input clock signal to the PLL circuit during a low power operation mode of the device and an external feedback path is adapted to pass a second input clock signal to the PLL circuit during a normal operation mode of the device. The multiplexer is provided for selecting between the internal and external feedback paths. | 01-09-2014 |
20130258761 | DUAL-PORT SRAM WITH BIT LINE CLAMPING - In one embodiment, a memory includes a plurality of bit lines and a write driver for driving a driven bit line selected from the plurality of bit lines during a write operation. The write driver is coupled to an internal node. A first stage clamping circuit is operable to clamp the internal node to a clamping voltage if the write operation is not enabled and is further operable to unclamp the internal node during the write operation. The memory further includes a multiplexer for selectively coupling the driven bit line to the internal node. A second stage clamping circuit is operable to clamp the plurality of bit lines to a clamping voltage if the write operation is not enabled and is further operable to unclamp the driven bit line during the write operation. | 10-03-2013 |
20130249717 | Delaying Data Signals - In one embodiment, multiple (serializer-deserializer) SERDES channels are aligned by selectively slipping one or more of the incoming serial data streams one bit at a time prior to deserialization. Within each SERDES channel, a slip circuit slips the corresponding serial data stream by one bit (i.e., one unit interval (UI)) by extending the high portion of the duty cycle of a corresponding clock signal. The high portion of the clock signal is extended using a 3-to-1 mux that selects a fixed high signal, such as the high power supply rail, as an intermediate mux output signal whenever transitioning between two different applied clock signals that are offset from one another by one UI. In this way, the slip circuit avoids glitches that might otherwise result from switching directly between the two clock signals. | 09-26-2013 |