On-chip probe circuit for detecting faults in an FPGA

US9103880B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Microsemi SoC Corp. · US

Inventors

• Jonathan W. Greene · Palo Alto, US
• Dirk Kannemacher · Wunstorf, DE
• Volker Hecht · Barsinghausen, DE
• Theodore Speers · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 2, 2013
• Grant date: Aug 11, 2015
• Expiry date: Feb 10, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01R31/318519
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An integrated programmable logic circuit having a read/write probe includes a plurality of programmable logic circuits having internal circuit nodes and a plurality of flip flops, each having an asynchronous data input line, an asynchronous load line, and a data output connected to an internal circuit node, a probe-data line, an address circuit for selecting one of the internal circuit nodes, a read-probe enable line for selectively coupling the selected one of the internal circuit nodes to the probe-data line, a data input path to the asynchronous data input line of each flip flop, a write-probe data input path to the asynchronous data input line of each flip flop, a write-probe enable line, and selection circuitry, responsive to the address circuit and the write-probe enable line, to couple one of the data input path and the write-probe data input path to the asynchronous data input of a selected flip flop.