FIFO in FPGA having logic elements that include cascadable...

Details FIFO in FPGA having logic elements that include cascadable... FIFO in FPGA having logic elements that include cascadable...

2000-07-24

2001-07-17

Tokar, Michael (Department: 2819)

Electronic digital logic circuitry

Multifunctional or programmable

Array

C326S040000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06262597

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to means and methods of customizing reprogrammable logic functions in an integrated circuit logic device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Xilinx, Inc. the assignee of the present application, manufactures FPGAs, the complexity of which continues to increase. Freeman in U.S. Pat. No. Reissue 34,363, incorporated herein by reference, which is a re-issue of original U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,302, describes the first FPGA. An FPGA is an integrated circuit chip which includes a plurality of programmable input/output pads, a plurality of configurable logic elements, and a programmable interconnect structure for interconnecting the plurality of logic elements and pads. Each logic element implements a logic function of the n inputs to the logic element according to how the logic element has been configured. Logic functions may use all n inputs to the logic element or may use only a subset thereof. A few of the possible logic functions that a logic element can be configured to implement are: AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, XNOR and mixed combinations of these functions.
One disclosed implementation of the logic element includes a configurable lookup table which is internal to the logic element and which includes 2
n
individual memory cells, where n is the number of input signals the lookup table can handle. At configuration, in this architecture a bitstream programs the individual memory cells of the lookup table with a desired function by writing the truth table of the desired function to the individual memory cells. Although the programming is described as being performed serially, other techniques for parallel programming are also known.
One memory cell architecture appropriate for use in the lookup tables is shown in FIG.
1
and described by Hsieh in U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,233, incorporated herein by reference. A memory cell of this architecture is programmed by applying the value to be written to the memory cell on the data input line, “Data,” and strobing the corresponding address line, “ADDR.” Further, although this architecture uses five transistors, other known configurations, e.g., six transistor static memory cells, also are appropriate choices for implementing the memory cells of the lookup table. As shown in
FIG. 1
, inverter
726
may be included to increase the drive of memory cell
700
.
After configuration, to use a lookup table, the input lines of the configured logic element act as address lines which select a corresponding memory cell in the lookup table. For example, a logic element configured to implement a two-input NAND gate would output the corresponding value {1, 1, 1, or 0} contained in the one of the four memory cells corresponding to the current input pair {00, 01, 10, 11}, respectively.
This selection is performed by a decoding multiplexer which selects a memory cell from the lookup table on the basis of the logic levels of the input lines. A block diagram of an exemplary four-input lookup table composed of 16 memory cells
700
1
through
700
16
and a decoding multiplexer
200
is shown in FIG.
2
. The multiplexer propagates a value stored in one of the memory cells
700
1
-
700
16
of the lookup table to an output X of the lookup table as selected by the four input signals F
0
-F
3
.
FIG. 3
is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a lookup table. In this embodiment, the lookup table is implemented using four memory cells
700
1
-
700
4
and a two-input decoding multiplexer
200
with two input signals, F
0
and F
1
. The two-input decoding multiplexer
200
is shown in detail as being implemented by a hierarchy of pass transistors which propagate the value stored in the selected memory cell to the output X of the logic element. In
FIG. 3
, the memory cells may be implemented as shown in FIG.
1
.
The above architecture was later augmented to enhance the functionality of the lookup tables. U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,406 to Freeman et al., incorporated herein by reference, describes how additional circuitry can enable lookup tables to behave as random access memories (RAMs) which can be both read and written after configuration of the logic device. When the option of allowing the user to write data to memory cells is available, there also must be provision for entering the user's data into these memory cells and reading from the memory cells. This capability is provided by including two means for accessing each dual function memory cell, one which is used to supply the configuration bitstream from off the chip, and another which is used during operation to store signals that are routed from the interconnect lines of the FPGA.
FIG. 4
shows the memory cell architecture described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,406 which allows memory cell
750
to be programmed both during and after configuration. During configuration, memory cell
750
is programmed using the same process for programming the memory cell of FIG.
1
.
After configuration, memory cell
750
is programmed differently. A value to be written to memory cell
750
is applied through the interconnect structure of the FPGA to the second data line
705
, and then the corresponding write-strobe line WS for the memory cell is pulsed. This pulse latches the value on line
705
into memory cell
750
. Like the lookup table of
FIG. 2
which uses a series of memory cells from
FIG. 1
, a series of memory cells from
FIG. 4
are combinable into a lookup table.
FIG. 5
is a block diagram showing a four-input lookup table with synchronous write capability. There is a write strobe generator
504
which receives a clock signal, CK, and a write enable signal, WE, and creates a single write strobe signal, WS, for the lookup table. To write a value to a desired memory cell, say
750
5
, the value is applied on line D
in
and the address of the desired memory cell
750
5
is applied to the input lines F
0
-F
3
of demultiplexer
500
. The value then is latched into the desired memory cell
750
5
by pulsing the write strobe. Conversely, to read a value stored in a different desired memory cell
750
3
, the address of the memory cell
750
3
is applied to the input lines F
0
-F
3
of decoding multiplexer
200
(without pulsing the write strobe), as was described with reference to
FIGS. 2 and 3
.
FIG. 6
is a schematic illustration of a two-input lookup table with synchronous write capability.
FIG. 6
includes four memory cells
750
1
through
750
4
. Detail of demultiplexer
500
and multiplexer
200
is shown in FIG.
6
.
The implementation and operation of other logic array devices are described in “The Programmable Logic Data Book,” pages 4-1 to 4-372, copyright 1996 by Xilinx, available from Xilinx, Inc., 2100 Logic Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95124. This portion of “The Programmable Logic Data Book” is incorporated herein by reference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides means and method for programming a configurable logic element so that the logic element can implement any one of a shift register and a combinatorial logic function using a lookup table. In one embodiment, the invention further provides for implementing a random access memory in this same logic element. The lookup table includes a plurality of memory cells which are connected in series so that an output of a first memory cell is configurable as an input to a second memory cell of the same lookup table. Further, by connecting shift registers of plural logic elements in series, larger shift registers can be built from smaller shift registers. Previous architectures built n-bit shift registers out of n flip flops connected in series, thereby wasting interconnect resources and logic while achieving mediocre performance.
In one mode, the memory cells which store the lookup table values are used as registers in a shift chain. When the logic element is in shift register mode, the Data-in value is shifted into the first cell and the value in each memory cell is shifted to the next cell. When the logic element is in random access memory mode, the Data-in value is written to a cell ad

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