Abstract: A phase detector circuit compares the phases of first and second periodic input signals to generate an output signal. The phase detector includes a circuit that makes two different combinations of the first and the second periodic input signals to generate third and fourth periodic signals. This circuit causes the third periodic signal to be based on a first combination of the first periodic signal and the second periodic signal that imparts a first relative phase shift. The circuit causes the fourth periodic signal to be based on a second combination of the first periodic signal and the second periodic signal to provide a different relative phase shift. The phase detector also includes a comparison circuit that compares a measure of the power of the third periodic signal to a measure of the power of the fourth periodic signal to generate the phase comparison output signal.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and system for pre-authenticating ports is disclosed. In one embodiment, an active port facilitating communication of media content between a transmitting device and a receiving device is identified, while the active port are associated with a first High-Definition Content Protection (HDCP) engine. Then, inactive ports that are in idle mode serving as backup ports to the active port are identified, while the inactive ports are associated with a second HDCP engine. Pre-authentication of each of the inactive ports is performed so the pre-authenticated inactive ports can subsequently replace the active port if a port switch is performed.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed herein to provide improved placement of components in programmable logic devices (PLDs). In one example, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a design identifying operations to be performed by a PLD. The method also includes determining a layout comprising positions of components of the PLD configured to perform the operations. The method also includes performing a timing analysis on the layout. The method also includes selectively adjusting the positions of the components using the timing analysis. Related systems and non-transitory machine-readable mediums are also provided.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a collector current driver is provided that controls the collector current for a bipolar transistor temperature transducer. The collector current driver is configured to use negative feedback to generate an emitter current for the bipolar transistor responsive to target current.

Abstract: Using relatively inexpensive, external resistor networks, an electronic device, such as an FPGA, can be configured to use non-MIPI interfaces to communicate with one or more MIPI-compliant devices, such as video sources (e.g., cameras) and sinks (e.g., displays). High-speed (HS) and low-power (LP) MIPI signaling for each MIPI clock/data lane is supported by a set of one or more non-MIPI interfaces, such as LVDS and/or LVCMOS receivers, transmitters, and/or transceivers, and an appropriate, corresponding, external resistor network. For configurations in which the resistor-configured electronic device can handle high-speed MIPI data from a MIPI-compliant device, the electronic device can detect transitions in the MIPI mode of the MIPI-compliant device. In some configurations, the resistor-configured electronic device can provide high-speed MIPI data to a MIPI-compliant device. In either case, the electronic device configures the non-MIPI interfaces to support the current MIPI HS/LP mode.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an integrated circuit has hot-socket circuitry to protect I/O drivers during hot-socket events. The hot-socket circuitry has (i) N-well-to-pad switcher circuitry that ties driver PMOS N-wells to pads when the pad voltages are greater than the power-supply voltage and (ii) N-well-to-power-supply switcher circuitry that ties the driver PMOS N-wells to the power supply when the pad voltages are less than the power-supply voltage. The hot-socket circuitry also has a special PMOS device connected between the pad and a gate of at least one other PMOS device in the N-well-to-power-supply switcher circuitry to turn off the N-well-to-power-supply switcher circuitry quickly whenever the pad voltage is greater than the power-supply voltage. Applying a reduced power-supply voltage level to the gate of the special PMOS device enables the hot-socket circuitry to be implemented without having to use low Vt devices and without having to implement substantially large drive strengths.

Abstract: Various techniques are provided to perform clock assignments in a programmable logic device (PLD). In one example, a computer-implemented method includes receiving a design identifying operations to be performed by a programmable logic device (PLD), synthesizing the design into a plurality of components of the PLD configured to perform the operations, and performing a simulated annealing process to determine a layout of the components in the PLD based on a system cost including a clock assignment cost for global clock signals of the PLD. Additional methods, systems, machine-readable mediums, and other techniques are also provided.

Abstract: Various techniques are provided to route connections within a programmable logic device (PLD). In one example, a method includes determining timing slacks for connections described in a netlist for a programmable logic device (PLD). The method also includes determining a plurality of priority groups. The connections are associated with one or more of the priority groups based on the timing slacks. The method also includes routing the connections associated with each priority group, from a highest priority group to a lowest priority group. Each priority group is iteratively routed to remove routing conflicts before lower priority groups are routed. Additional methods, systems, machine-readable mediums, and other techniques are also provided.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes multiple I/O banks, each bank having multiple I/O-ESD tiles, each tile having one or more I/O circuits and electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuitry for the one or more I/O circuits in the tile. The ESD circuitry for one tile includes at least one RC-triggered clamp, whose resistance is provided by a resistor shared by one or more other RC-triggered clamps in one or more other tiles of the same bank and whose capacitance is provided by a combination of distributed capacitors, one for each of those two or more RC-triggered clamps. Each tile may have multiple instances of such RC-triggered clamps providing ESD protection for different (e.g., power supply and/or bus) nodes. The shared resistors are variable to allow different instances of the same ESD circuitry design to be implemented with the same time constant for different banks having different numbers of tiles.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a ball grid array (BGA) of a packaged semiconductor device and a corresponding landing pad array of a printed circuit board each have a layout defined by an interconnection array having (i) an inner sub-array of locations having connectors arranged in rows and columns separated by a specified pitch and (ii) an outer rectangular ring of locations having connectors arranged in rows and columns separated by the specified pitch. The outer rectangular ring is separated from the inner sub-array by a depopulated rectangular ring having a width of at least twice the specified pitch, wherein the depopulated rectangular ring has no connectors. The outer rectangular ring has empty locations having no connectors. Some of those empty locations define depopulated sets that divide the outer rectangular ring into a number of different contiguous sets of locations having connectors that enable pin escape for connectors of the device's BGA.

Abstract: Using relatively inexpensive, external resistor networks, an electronic device, such as an FPGA, can be configured to use non-MIPI interfaces to communicate with one or more MIPI-compliant devices, such as video sources (e.g., cameras) and sinks (e.g., displays). High-speed (HS) and low-power (LP) MIPI signaling for each MIPI clock/data lane is supported by a set of one or more non-MIPI interfaces, such as LVDS and/or LVCMOS receivers, transmitters, and/or transceivers, and an appropriate, corresponding, external resistor network. For configurations in which the resistor-configured electronic device can handle high-speed MIPI data from a MIPI-compliant device, the electronic device can detect transitions in the MIPI mode of the MIPI-compliant device. In some configurations, the resistor-configured electronic device can provide high-speed MIPI data to a MIPI-compliant device. In either case, the electronic device configures the non-MIPI interfaces to support the current MIPI HS/LP mode.

Abstract: A local device, such as a field-programmable gate array, has a local state machine and a local interface component for communicating with a remote device that implements a remote state machine. The local interface component receives a new set of incoming data from the remote device and determines whether the new set is good data or bad data. If good data, then the local interface component causes the new set of data to transmitted internally for use by the local state machine. If bad data, then the local interface component does not forward the new set of data to the local state machine, which instead continues to use a previously received set of good data. Although the clock rate of the local and remote state machines may differ from the frame rate of the local interface component, their operations are nevertheless synchronized.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an integrated circuit chip has an input/output (I/O) interface and programmable fabric. The I/O interface restricts access to scan testing of the chip by requiring (1) a specific scan-testing instruction, (2) a specific manufacturing key, and (3) a specific fabric pattern value from a specific set of registers in the programmed fabric. In addition or alternatively, the I/O interface has circuitry that enables scan testing of most of the logic of the I/O interface itself, including the logic being driven by the JTAG TAP state register.

Abstract: A programmable logic device is provided that includes: a programmable interconnect adapted to route input signals through the device at a system clock rate; and a digital signal processor (DSP) block coupled to the interconnect, the DSP block including: a plurality of input ports; an input register coupled to the multiple input ports and adapted to sequentially register samples of the input signals from the interconnect received at the input ports at a multiple of the system clock rate; and a multiplier adapted to multiply the registered samples at the multiple of the system clock rate to produce an output signal.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a memory includes a plurality of bit lines and a write driver for driving a driven bit line selected from the plurality of bit lines during a write operation. The write driver is coupled to an internal node. A first stage clamping circuit is operable to clamp the internal node to a clamping voltage if the write operation is not enabled and is further operable to unclamp the internal node during the write operation. The memory further includes a multiplexer for selectively coupling the driven bit line to the internal node. A second stage clamping circuit is operable to clamp the plurality of bit lines to a clamping voltage if the write operation is not enabled and is further operable to unclamp the driven bit line during the write operation.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the operating range of an over-current detection circuit is extended to higher input voltage levels by providing a reference-voltage generation circuit for the detection circuit with voltage protection circuitry that applies an additional voltage drop to shield other vulnerable transistor devices from the higher input voltages. In addition, bypass circuitry is provided that is inactive at the highest input voltage levels, but actively bypasses at least some of the voltage protection circuitry at relatively low input voltage levels to apply a voltage drop that is sufficient to ensure proper operation of the vulnerable transistor devices at the low voltage levels. In one implementation, the vulnerable transistor devices are NFET devices in a programmable current minor of the reference-voltage generation circuit. In addition, a stiffened voltage divider helps to ensure sufficient voltage drop at the low voltage levels. The protection and bypass circuitry also enable hot-socketing operations.

Abstract: In certain embodiments of the invention, a serializer has a transfer stage that transfers N-bit parallel data from a relatively slow timing domain to a relatively fast timing domain and a serializing stage that converts the parallel data into serialized data. Between the transfer stage and the serializing stage is an update stage that buffers the data and can be used to toggle the serializer between an N?1 operating mode and an N+1 operating mode.

Abstract: The defect-containing die identified from an inspection layer analysis subsequent to a manufacturing step for a wafer including a plurality of die and as well as the faulty die identified from a fault testing of the wafer are processed to identify a subset of the die that both contain a defect and are faulty. A probability analysis is performed to determine a confidence level of whether the die in the subset are faulty due to their defects.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method of estimating signal congestion in routing resources of a programmable logic device (PLD), wherein the routing resources include configurable interface blocks (CIBs) and wires of different types supported by the CIBs. The method includes identifying, from a representation of a PLD stored within a computer system, components of the PLD to be connected in a configuration of the PLD. A CIB associated with an identified PLD component is then selected. A wire type supported by the selected CIB is also selected. The number of wires of the selected type needed at the selected CIB to implement the PLD configuration and the number of wires of the selected type provided by the CIB are calculated. Signal congestion at the selected CIB is estimated from at least the needed number of wires and the provided number of wires.

Abstract: Parasitic static leakage current through input terminals of bus-accessing multiplexers is minimized by automatically forcing as many as practical of the bus lines into a high impedance state where all drivers of the lines are in a high impedance output state. Thus parasitic current sinking or current sourcing leakage paths through the bus-accessing multiplexers are cut off. The method is of particular utility in a low power FPGA that desirable has low static current leakage when in a static state.