Techniques for reducing uneven aging in integrated circuits
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorHerman Schmit
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A programmable integrated circuit includes configuration circuitry configured to receive configurations of a user design for the programmable integrated circuit. Each of the configurations implements the user design using at least some unique circuitry in the programmable integrated circuit relative to the other ones of the configurations. The configuration circuitry is further configured to implement the user design in a first one of the configurations. The configuration circuitry is further configured to move the user design from the first one of the configurations to a second one of the configurations to cause effects of aging processes in circuits in the programmable integrated circuit that are not aged by the first one of the configurations.
Claims20
A computer readable non-transitory medium storing executable instructions for reducing uneven aging in a programmable integrated circuit, the executable instructions comprising:
- instructions executable by a design tool to generate configurations of a user design for the programmable integrated circuit, wherein each of the configurations implements the user design using at least some unique circuitry in the programmable integrated circuit relative to the other ones of the configurations;
- instructions executable by the design tool to direct configuration circuitry in the programmable integrated circuit to implement the user design in a first one of the configurations;
- and
- instructions executable by the design tool to direct the configuration circuitry to move the user design from the first one of the configurations to a second one of the configurations to cause effects of aging processes in circuits in the programmable integrated circuit that are not aged by the first one of the configurations.
A method for reducing uneven aging in a programmable integrated circuit, the method comprising:
- receiving configurations of a user design for the programmable integrated circuit from a design tool, wherein each of the configurations implements the user design with at least some unique circuitry in the programmable integrated circuit relative to the other ones of the configurations;
- implementing the user design in a first one of the configurations with configuration circuitry in the programmable integrated circuit;
- and
- moving the user design from the first one of the configurations to a second one of the configurations with the configuration circuitry to cause aging processes in circuitry that is not aged by the first one of the configurations.
A programmable integrated circuit comprising:
- configuration circuitry configured to receive configurations of a user design for the programmable integrated circuit, wherein each of the configurations implements the user design using at least some unique circuitry in the programmable integrated circuit relative to the other ones of the configurations,
- wherein the configuration circuitry is further configured to implement the user design in a first one of the configurations, and wherein the configuration circuitry is further configured to move the user design from the first one of the configurations to a second one of the configurations to cause effects of aging processes in circuits in the programmable integrated circuit that are not aged by the first one of the configurations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.