Architecture for mask programmable devices

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a semi-programmable ASIC using two metals for the metal layers. The semi-programmable ASIC may have a prefabricated first section and a customized second section. The prefabricated first section and the customized second section may each include one or more metal layers. The one or more metal layers included in the prefabricated first section may be used to define undifferentiated sets of electrical and logic elements. An undifferentiated set of electrical and logic elements may be a NAND logic gate, a NOR logic gate, or the like. The one or more metal layers included in the customized second section may be used to define logic functions of the undifferentiated sets of electrical and logic elements. The metal used in the one or more metal layers included in the prefabricated first section may be of one type such as copper, copper alloy, or the like, and the metal used in the metal layers included in the customized second section may be of another type such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, or the like.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.