Abstract: A plurality of FPGA dice is disposed upon a semiconductor substrate. In order both to connect thousands of signal interconnect lines between the plurality of FPGA dice and to supply the immense power required, it is desired that the substrate construction include two different portions, each manufactured using incompatible processes. The first portion is a signal interconnect structure containing a thin conductor layers portion characterized as having a plurality of thin, fine-pitch conductors. The second portion is a power connection structure that includes thick conductors and vertical through-holes. The through-holes contain conductive material and supply power to the FPGA dice from power bus bars located at the other side of the semiconductor substrate. The portions are joined at the wafer level by polishing the wafer surfaces within a few atoms of flatness and subsequent cleaning. The portions are then fusion bonded together or combined using an adhesive material.

Abstract: A multiple-layer signal conductor has increased surface area for mitigation of skin effect. Parallel extending elongated strips of conductive material are placed in parallel layers and are separated by a thin layer of dielectric. The elongated strips are conductively connected to one another by regularly spaced vias such that a single signal conductor with multiple conductive layers is formed. During high-speed signaling, the skin effect causes current to concentrate near the surfaces of conductors. The multiple-layer signal conductor, however, has increased surface area with respect to its total cross-sectional area. The effective cross-sectional area which is conductive during high-speed signaling is therefore increased, leading to positive effects on transmission line resistance, heating, signal integrity and signal propagation delay.

Abstract: A plurality of FPGA dice is disposed upon a semiconductor substrate. In order both to connect thousands of signal interconnect lines between the plurality of FPGA dice and to supply the immense power required, it is desired that the substrate construction include two different portions, each manufactured using incompatible processes. The first portion is a signal interconnect structure containing a thin conductor layers portion characterized as having a plurality of thin, fine-pitch conductors. The second portion is a power connection structure that includes thick conductors and vertical through-holes. The through-holes contain conductive material and supply power to the FPGA dice from power bus bars located at the other side of the semiconductor substrate. The portions are joined at the wafer level by polishing the wafer surfaces within a few atoms of flatness and subsequent cleaning. The portions are then fusion bonded together or combined using an adhesive material.

Abstract: A multiple-layer signal conductor has increased surface area for mitigation of skin effect. Parallel extending elongated strips of conductive material are placed in parallel layers and are separated by a thin layer of dielectric. The elongated strips are conductively connected to one another by regularly spaced vias such that a single signal conductor with multiple conductive layers is formed. During high-speed signaling, the skin effect causes current to concentrate near the surfaces of conductors. The multiple-layer signal conductor, however, has increased surface area with respect to its total cross-sectional area. The effective cross-sectional area which is conductive during high-speed signaling is therefore increased, leading to positive effects on transmission line resistance, heating, signal integrity and signal propagation delay.

Abstract: A reconfigurable high performance computer includes a stack of semiconductor substrate assemblies (SSAs). Some SSAs involve FPGA dice that are surface mounted, as bare dice, to a semiconductor substrate. Other SSAs involve memory dice that are surface mounted to a semiconductor substrate. Elastomeric connectors are sandwiched between, and interconnect, adjacent semiconductor substrates proceeding down the stack. Each SSA includes a local defect memory and a self-test mechanism. The self-test mechanism periodically tests the SSA and its interconnects, and stores resulting defect information into its local defect memory. The computer is configured to realize a user design and then is run. A defect is then detected. If the defect is determined to be in a part of the computer used in the realization of user design, then the computer is reconfigured not to use the defective part and running of the computer is resumed, otherwise the computer resumes running without reconfiguration.

Abstract: A reconfigurable high performance computer occupies less than 360 cubic inches and has an approximate compute power of 0.7 teraflops per second while consuming less than 1000 watts. The computer includes a novel stack of semiconductor substrate assemblies. Some semiconductor substrate assemblies involve field programmable gate array (FPGA) dice that are directly surface mounted, as bare die, to a semiconductor substrate. Other semiconductor substrate assemblies of the stack involve bare memory integrated circuit dice that are directly surface mounted to a semiconductor substrate. Elastomeric connectors interconnect adjacent semiconductor substrates proceeding down the stack. Tines of novel comb-shaped power bus bar assembly structures extend into the stack to supply DC supply voltages. The supply voltages are supplied from bus bars, through vias in the semiconductor substrates, and to the integrated circuits on the other side of the substrates.

Abstract: An electronic package and methods by which the package reduces thermal fatigue failure of conductors in the electronic package. The electronic package includes a carrier substrate having first and second surfaces and a plurality of anchor vias having a via material extending from the first surface toward the second surface. The electronic package includes a first conducting layer having a length and a width extending laterally in two dimensions across a major part of the first surface of the carrier substrate. The anchor vias have plural attachments along the length and the width of the first conducting layer to secure the first conducting layer to the carrier substrate.

Abstract: A plurality of FPGA dice is disposed upon a semiconductor substrate. In order to supply the immense power required by the plurality of FPGA dice, power is routed through the semiconductor substrate vertically from thick metal layers and large integral metal structures located on the other side of the semiconductor substrate. Because the semiconductor substrate has a different coefficient of thermal linear expansion than metal layers in contact with the substrate, delamination may occur when the structure is subject to changes in temperature. To prevent delamination of metal layers connected to the semiconductor substrate and in electrical contact with the integral metal structures, the integral metal structures are manufactured with an array of post portions. During changes in temperature, the post portions of the integral metal structures bend and slide relative to metal layers connected to the semiconductor substrate and prevent linear stresses that may otherwise cause delamination.

Abstract: A reconfigurable high performance computer occupies less than 360 cubic inches and has an approximate compute power of 0.7 teraflops per second while consuming less than 1000 watts. The computer includes a novel stack of semiconductor substrate assemblies. Some semiconductor substrate assemblies involve field programmable gate array (FPGA) dice that are directly surface mounted, as bare die, to a semiconductor substrate. Other semiconductor substrate assemblies of the stack involve bare memory integrated circuit dice that are directly surface mounted to a semiconductor substrate. Elastomeric connectors interconnect adjacent semiconductor substrates proceeding down the stack. Tines of novel comb-shaped power bus bar assembly structures extend into the stack to supply DC supply voltages. The supply voltages are supplied from bus bars, through vias in the semiconductor substrates, and to the integrated circuits on the other side of the substrates.

Abstract: A reconfigurable high performance computer includes a stack of self-aligning, injection-molded plastic, insulative guide trays. Each insulative guide tray retains at least one semiconductor substrate assembly (SSA) in a lateral dimension with respect to a set of elastomeric connectors. The trays hold the SSAs and the elastomeric connectors such that the elastomeric connectors are sandwiched between, and interconnect, adjacent semiconductor substrates proceeding down the stack. The trays also hold comb-shaped power bus bar assemblies such that power bus bars contact and supply power to circuitry of the SSAs of the stack.

Abstract: An electronic package and methods by which the package reduces thermal fatigue failure of conductors in the electronic package. The electronic package includes a carrier substrate having first and second surfaces and a plurality of anchor vias having a via material extending from the first surface toward the second surface. The electronic package includes a first conducting layer having a length and a width extending laterally in two dimensions across a major part of the first surface of the carrier substrate. The anchor vias have plural attachments along the length and the width of the first conducting layer to secure the first conducting layer to the carrier substrate.

Abstract: A semiconductor package having a substrate and a die includes a plurality of conductive posts attached to the substrate and bonded to an active surface of the die via a plurality of corresponding microbumps. The conductive posts are flexible and extend beyond the top surface of the substrate a sufficient distance to absorb lateral forces exerted upon the microbumps.

Abstract: When integrated circuits are mounted on a substrate, little space is often available for the required large number of bypass capacitors. A novel substrate structure therefore includes many closely spaced through-holes that extend from a first surface of the substrate to a second surface of the substrate. Each through-hole includes a first conducting layer, a dielectric layer, and a second conducting layer. The first and second conducting layers and the intervening dielectric layer constitute a via having a substantial capacitance (one picofarad). Some of the many vias provide bypass capacitance directly under the integrated circuits. A first set of vias supplies power from a power bus bar on one side of the substrate to the integrated circuits on the other side. A second set of vias sinks current from the integrated circuits on the other side, through the substrate, and to a ground bus bar on the one side.

Abstract: A PLD includes a plurality of logic blocks, a test circuit, and a test pin set. The logic blocks are coupled to gating circuits that selectively adjust an operating voltage for the blocks in response to control signals. During operation of the PLD, the control signals are updated in response to externally-generated signals provided to the PLD via the test pin set and routed to the logic blocks using the test circuit.

Abstract: A capacitive interposer (caposer) is disposed inside an integrated circuit package between a die and an inside surface of the package. Conductive layers within the caposer constitute a bypass capacitor. In a through-hole caposer, micro-bumps on the die pass through through-holes in the caposer and contact corresponding landing pads on the package. As they pass through the caposer, power and ground micro-bumps make contact with the plates of the bypass capacitor. In a via caposer, power and ground micro-bumps on the die are coupled to power and ground landing pads on the package as well as to the plates of the bypass capacitor by power and ground vias that extend through the caposer. In signal redistribution caposer, conductors within the caposer redistribute signals between die micro-bumps and package landing pads. In an impedance matching caposer, termination structures within the caposer provide impedance matching to a printed circuit board trace.

Abstract: A method of operating a programmable logic device, including the steps of enabling resources of the programmable logic device being used in a circuit design implemented by the programmable logic device, and disabling unused or inactive resources of the programmable logic device that are not being used in the circuit design. The step of disabling can include de-coupling the unused or inactive resources from one or more power supply terminals. Alternatively, the step of disabling can include regulating a supply voltage applied to the unused or inactive resources. The step of disabling can be performed in response to configuration data bits stored by the programmable logic device and/or in response to user controlled signals. The step of disabling can be initiated during design time and/or run time of the programmable logic device.

Abstract: A method of operating a programmable logic device includes the steps of using a full VDD supply voltage to operate a first set of active blocks of the programmable logic device, and using a reduced supply voltage (e.g., 0.9 VDD) to operate a second set of active blocks of the programmable logic device. A timing analysis is performed to determine the maximum available timing slack in each active block. Active blocks having a smaller timing slack are grouped in the first set, and are coupled to receive the full VDD supply voltage. Active blocks having a larger timing slack are grouped in the second set, and are coupled to receive the reduced VDD supply voltage. As a result, the active blocks in the second set exhibit reduced power consumption, without adversely affecting the overall speed of the programmable logic device.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a volume of insulator disposed over a top surface of a semiconductor substrate, a tube of soft dielectric, and a metal conductor. The insulator has a hardness of more than approximately three gigapascals (gPa) and the soft dielectric has a hardness of less than three gPa. The tube of soft dielectric and the metal conductor are both embedded within the volume of insulator. The tube defines a central volume and the metal conductor extends in a direction through the central volume for a distance of at least one inch. The metal conductor is encircled by the soft dielectric when the apparatus is viewed in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the direction. The metal conductor may include a plurality of bend portions. The metal conductor does not break when the apparatus is temperature cycled over a range from zero to eighty five degrees Celsius.

Abstract: A reconfigurable high performance computer occupies less than 360 cubic inches and has an approximate compute power of 0.7 teraflops per second while consuming less than 1000 watts. The computer includes a novel stack of semiconductor substrate assemblies. Some semiconductor substrate assemblies involve field programmable gate array (FPGA) dice that are directly surface mounted, as bare die, to a semiconductor substrate. Other semiconductor substrate assemblies of the stack involve bare memory integrated circuit dice that are directly surface mounted to a semiconductor substrate. Elastomeric connectors interconnect adjacent semiconductor substrates proceeding down the stack. Tines of novel comb-shaped power bus bar assembly structures extend into the stack to supply DC supply voltages. The supply voltages are supplied from bus bars, through vias in the semiconductor substrates, and to the integrated circuits on the other side of the substrates.

Abstract: An electronic package and methods by which the package reduces thermal fatigue failure of conductors in the electronic package. The electronic package includes a carrier substrate having first and second surfaces and a plurality of anchor vias having a via material extending from the first surface toward the second surface. The electronic package includes a first conducting layer having a length and a width extending laterally in two dimensions across a major part of the first surface of the carrier substrate. The anchor vias have plural attachments along the length and the width of the first conducting layer to secure the first conducting layer to the carrier substrate.