Programmable Logic IC Layout for Shared Bond Pads and Faster Delivery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing method of designing and manufacturing digital logic integrated circuits (ICs) is costly and inefficient due to the need for hundreds of different parts with various specifications, leading to slow delivery times and high inventory costs, as each part must be designed and manufactured individually.
Innovation Solution
A digital logic IC family with programmable digital logic transistor circuitry and input/output circuitry, allowing for selection of desired logic functions using metal mask straps, fuses, or non-volatile memory, reducing the number of distinct parts required and enabling efficient production and customization based on customer orders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple logic functions are designed into separate IC parts, then each function can be optimized independently, but the number of parts increases leading to high inventory costs and slow delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple logic functions (AND, OR, NAND, NOR gates) into a single IC package, reducing the number of separate parts from four individual ICs to one integrated circuit. This merging maintains functional optimization while eliminating inventory complexity and speeding up delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The IC package is designed with universal functionality to perform multiple logic operations simultaneously. The device can function as different logic gates based on configuration, allowing one part to replace multiple specialized parts while maintaining optimized performance for each function.
2Loss of time
If a large inventory of multiple logic ICs is maintained, then customer orders can be filled immediately, but inventory costs increase substantially
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple logic functions into one IC package, the inventory quantity is reduced from maintaining separate stocks of four different IC types to maintaining stock of a single multi-functional IC, thereby reducing inventory costs while preserving immediate delivery capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The universal IC can fulfill multiple customer orders for different logic functions from a single inventory stock, eliminating the need to maintain separate inventories for each logic function while ensuring immediate order fulfillment.
3Ease of manufacture
If individual logic ICs are manufactured separately, then manufacturing processes are simpler for each part, but the overall manufacturing complexity and coordination increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the manufacturing process for multiple logic functions into a single integrated manufacturing workflow. Instead of coordinating separate manufacturing processes for four different ICs, the combined IC is manufactured as one unit, reducing coordination complexity while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A family of digital logic functions has the same specifications for input and output voltages and the same number of bond pads. A digital logic integrated circuit for the family includes a substrate of semiconductor material having a core area and a peripheral area; a certain number of bond pads formed in the peripheral area, the certain number of bond pads determining the total area of the substrate; programmable digital logic transistor circuitry formed in the core area for each of the digital logic functions in the family; programmable input and output circuitry formed in the peripheral area; programming circuitry for programming the programmable digital logic transistor circuitry into a selected digital logic function; and programmable input and output means for programming the input and output circuitry into input and output circuits for the selected digital logic function.