Programmable routing structures providing shorter timing delays for input/output signals

A programmable logic integrated circuit comprising:

• a plurality of I/O pads that allow external access to the integrated circuit;
• a plurality of programmable global routine conductors;
• a plurality of circuit elements;
• programmable dedicated routing conductors coupled to transmit signals between the I/O pads and the circuit elements, bypassing the global routing conductors, a first set of the dedicated routing conductors being programmably coupled to the I/O pads and a second set of the dedicated routing conductors being perpendicular to and programmably coupled to the first set of dedicated routing conductors;
• and
• a set of multiplexers that couples the first set of dedicated routing conductors to the second set of dedicated routing conductors,
• wherein some of the set of multiplexers couple I/O pads directly to the second set of dedicated routing conductors.

A programmable logic integrated circuit comprising:

• rows of programmable logic elements that are configurable to perform combinatorial and sequential functions;
• programmable global routing conductors aligned in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
• a plurality of I/O pads of the integrated circuit;
• dedicated routing conductors coupled to transmit signals between the I/O pads and the logic elements without routing through the global routing conductors;
• and
• at least one multiplexer coupling a set of the plurality of I/O pads directly to the dedicated routing conductors,
• wherein the dedicated routing conductors are aligned in the first and the second directions, and the dedicated routing conductors routed in the first direction are programmably connectable to the dedicated routing conductors routed in the second direction by depopulated programmable logic connections.

A method for forming a programmable logic integrated circuit, the method comprising:

• providing pads that allow external access to the programmable logic integrated circuit;
• providing a plurality of global vertical and horizontal programmable routing conductors;
• providing a plurality of circuit elements;
• providing programmable dedicated routing conductors that are coupled to transmit signals between the pads and the circuit elements without routing the signals through the global programmable routing conductors;
• and
• providing multiplexers that couple the pads directly to the dedicated routing conductors.