Methods for errors checking the configuration SRAM and user...

Details Methods for errors checking the configuration SRAM and user... Methods for errors checking the configuration SRAM and user...

1998-03-16

2001-05-22

Nguyen, Hoa T. (Department: 2784)

Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery

Pulse or data error handling

Digital data error correction

C714S718000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06237124

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to field programmable gate array (FPGA) integrated circuits having an array of logic modules and interconnect architecture configured by static random access memory (SRAM) cells disposed within the array of logic modules. More particularly, the present invention relates to cyclic redundancy checking (CRC) of the contents of the configuration SRAM for the logic modules and interconnect architecture in an FPGA.
2. The Prior Art
One manner known in the art for configuring the logic modules, interconnect and other circuits, such as input/output (I/O) circuits, in an FPGA is with data stored in SRAM cells distributed throughout the FPGA. The SRAM cells employed to configure the FPGA to implement the user-design are typically referred to as configuration SRAM. For reasons of reliability, it is important that the data in the configuration SRAM remains unchanged. Hence, one of the primary disadvantages in using configuration SRAM is that the data in the configuration SRAM is susceptible to an unintended change of at least one bit, known as single event upset (SEU).
In certain high reliability applications the undetected occurrence of a SEU is not considered acceptable. The reluctance among design engineers to use SRAM configured FPGA's in high reliability applications such as space, aeronautics, and military equipment due to the vulnerability to SEU's in harsh environments is well known. Though lowering the probability of an SEU in a harsh environment may be accomplished, eliminating the possibility of an SEU altogether seems unlikely. However, by checking the contents of the configuration SRAM for the FPGA, the detection and correction of an SEU may be accomplished.
In addition to providing SRAM for the configuration of an FPGA, the need for fast, flexible, inexpensive user-assignable SRAM for a variety of purposes such as register files, FIFOs, scratch pads, look-up tables, etc. has become more apparent. Because as integrated circuit technology advances, the shrinking of geometries improves performance and increases densities so that the design of systems of ever increasing complexity and performance at ever decreasing cost is made feasible.
This is especially true in logic products such as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). There are significant cost and performance savings to be obtained by integrating fast, flexible, inexpensive user-assignable SRAM directly into these types of logic products. However, providing this memory by having other than explicitly dedicated SRAM blocks included in the FPGA has not proved satisfactory. In one case, the implementation of memory without dedicated SRAM blocks has been done using array logic modules and flip-flops.
When user-assignable SRAM is implemented with the logic modules in the FPGA, it requires a substantial amount of the routing and logic resources of the FPGA, and the critical paths are quite long for even a small memory block. This substantially degrades both the performance and flexibility of the FPGA, and offers no density improvement over ordinary FPGA functionality. Further, when the logic blocks are configured as user-assignable SRAM, checking the contents of the configuration SRAM is not readily accomplished, because changing the contents of user-assignable SRAM alters the data in the configuration SRAM.
For example, Xilinx offers the capability on their 4000 series of parts to use the configurable logic blocks as 16×1 user-assignable SRAM blocks, and also offers the ability to check contents of the configuration SRAM. However, when the logic blocks are configured as user-assignable SRAM, checking the data in the configuration SRAM can only be accomplished by providing an additional PROM to mask off those logic modules implemented as SRAM, because changing the SRAM contents alters the data in the configuration memory. The use of a separate PROM is undesirable, because PROMs are expensive, require additional printed circuit board space, and consume I/O pins on the FPGA itself.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to detect and/or correct SEU's to the data in a configuration SRAM of an FPGA.
It is yet another object of the present invention to detect and/or correct SEU's to the data in a configuration SRAM of an FPGA without the need for an additional external component.
It is yet another object of the present invention to detect and/or correct SEU's to fixed data in a user-assignable SRAM of an FPGA.
It is yet another object of the present invention to detect and/or correct SEU's to fixed data in a user-assignable SRAM of an FPGA without the need for an external component.
It is yet another object of the present invention to employ cyclical redundancy checking (CRC) to detect an SEU to the data in a configuration SRAM of an FPGA.
It is yet another object of the present invention to employ cyclical redundancy checking (CRC) to detect an SEU to fixed data in a user-assignable SRAM of an FPGA.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect of the present invention, cyclical redundancy checking (CRC) is employed to check for an SEU in the configuration SRAM of an FPGA. In an SRAM based FPGA architecture according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, an EPROM residing on a printed circuit board near the FPGA stores the configuration data to program the configuration SRAM for the FPGA core. Upon either power up or at device reset, an EPROM controller on the FPGA directs a data stream from the EPROM onto the FPGA. The EPROM controller serializes the data stream from the EPROM into a data stream one bit wide. The data stream is synchronized to an internal clock. The data stream provides data to various portions of the FPGA architecture including control logic, row and column counters, a CRC circuit, and the configuration SRAM for the FPGA core. The control logic is initialized by the first few bits of the data stream, and uses these first few bits of the data stream to control the flow of the data stream into the FPGA.
The CRC circuit tests the data stream from the EPROM to verify that it is correct.
The CRC circuit may also test the data in the configuration SRAM after loading. A multiplexer controlled by the control logic selects whether the data to be checked by the CRC circuit is the input data stream or the data in the configuration SRAM. When incorrect configuration data is detected in the configuration SRAM of the FPGA core, the CRC circuit can signal the EPROM controller that an error has occurred. The EPROM controller can use this information to output a signal from the FPGA that an error has occurred and/or initiate a reload from the EPROM.
Once the FPGA enters the normal operating mode, the CRC circuit can be run in the background to continuously verify the contents of the configuration SRAM of the FPGA core. The operation of the CRC circuit during the normal operating mode of the FPGA will be almost completely transparent to the user application.
According to a second aspect of the invention, user-assignable SRAM blocks are included in the SRAM based FPGA architecture and may be included in the CRC checking performed on the configuration SRAM when desired. According to a presently preferred embodiment, 16K bits of SRAM divided into eight dedicated blocks of 2K bits, wherein each SRAM block is organized as 256 words×8 bits, each SRAM block is fully independent from the others, and the SRAM blocks are divided into two groups of four SRAM blocks such that SRAM blocks belonging to a particular group are substantially contiguous to each other. The SRAM blocks form a flexible, high performance memory integrated into the SRAM based FPGA architecture, such that the user-assignable SRAM blocks are disposed between logic function modules in the FPGA core that are partitioned into four groups of multiple logic arrays and are laid out as two upper groups of multip

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