VPA interconnect circuit

A configurable integrated circuit (IC) having a plurality of wiring layers, said IC comprising:

• a) a first via programmed interconnect circuit for connecting an input data set to an output data set, said first via programmed interconnect circuit having a first set of inputs, the first via programmed interconnect circuit operating equivalently to a second configurable interconnect circuit that performs different interconnect operations based on different configuration data sets;
• b) a second set of inputs for providing the input data set, wherein a plurality of input terminals in the first set are on a different wiring layer of the IC than a plurality of input terminals in the second set;
• c) a plurality of vias defined between certain inputs in the first set and certain inputs in the second set, wherein during the design of the IC, the plurality of vias are selected from a group of potential vias between the first and second set of input terminals, said selection resulting in the first via programmed interconnect circuit implementing the equivalent operation of the second configurable interconnect circuit when the second configurable interconnect circuit receives a particular configuration data set, and
• d) a signal generator for supplying a control signal to the first via programmed interconnect circuit, which then connects the input data set to the output data set in a particular manner.

A method of specifying a first via programmed interconnect circuit in a integrated circuit with a plurality of wiring layers, the first via programmed interconnect circuit operating equivalently to a second configurable interconnect circuit that performs different interconnect operations based on different configuration data sets, the method comprising:

• a) defining a first set of input terminals and a set of output terminals for the first via programmed interconnect circuit;
• b) defining a second set of input terminals for carrying a set of input signals, wherein at least a plurality of the second set of input terminals are on a different wiring layer than at least a plurality of the first set of input terminals;
• c) from a group of potential vias between the first and second set of input terminals, defining a plurality of vias between certain input terminals in the first and second sets, such that the first via programmed interconnect circuit implements the equivalent operation of the second configurable interconnect circuit when the second configurable interconnect circuit receives a particular configuration data set;
• and
• d) supplying a control signal to the first via programmed interconnect circuit to enable the first via programmed interconnect circuit to connect the first input terminal set to the output terminal set by using a particular one of a plurality of connection schemes that the first via programmed interconnect circuit can use to connect the first input terminal set to the output terminal set.