Custom IC hardware modeling using standard ICs for use in IC design validation
US6338158B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 31, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jan 8, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 31, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F30/33
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Testing and validation of custom IC designs is performed using standard ICs. Highly complex integrated circuits, instead of being designed at the gates and flops level, are typically designed using standardized cell libraries that allow for widespread, systematic design reuse. Such libraries may include Functional System Blocks, or FSBs (sometimes referred to as ASIC cores), and Application Specific Standard Parts (ASSPs). ASSPs are designs that are or were once realized as stand-alone parts, but that may also be embedded into larger designs (“embedded ASSPs”). Instead of a conventional software model, testing and validation is performed using a hardware model of a custom integrated circuit. The hardware model may be a breadboard system that is decomposed into three levels of functionality: ASSPs, FSBs and “glue logic”ASSPs are typically 500K gates or more and may be realized as separate ICs. FSBs are typically 50K gates or less. A collection of commonly used FSBs are therefore provided on a single integrated circuit (FSBIC) in such a way that by applying a predetermined control signal to the FSBIC, it will behave as a selected one of the FSBs. The hardware …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.