Patent US5548552A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5548552A
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US
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Reconfigurable programmable logic device
Assignee: Altera Corp
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Filing: 1995-05-31
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Granted: 1996-08-20
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Expires: 2015-05-31
Abstract
Abstract The present invention provides a reconfigurable programmable logic device (PLD) that saves its own programmed state without the use of an external memory device or without additional control logic on the PLD. A non-volatile memory cell is incorporated with each SRAM cell in the PLD to form a configuration memory cell. The non-volatile memory cells store the programmed states of the associated SRAM cells even after termination of power to the system. Each non-volatile memory cell then restores the configured state of its associated SRAM cell upon system power-up by "mapping" its contents to the SRAM cell. The non-volatile memory cell may be implemented either by an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory cell ("EPROM") or an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory cell ("EEPROM").
Inventors
- 👤 Raminda Madurawe
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 17:21
CPC Classifications
H; H03; H03K; H03K19/00; H03K19/02; H03K19/173; H03K19/177; H03K19/17748; H03K19/17756; H03K19/17704
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
101 words
In a programmable logic device in a single integrated circuit package, a reconfigurable memory comprising: an inverter having an input and an output; a PMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a drain coupled to the input of the inverter and a source coupled to a power supply potential; an NMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a source coupled to a ground potential and a drain; an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM) coupling the PMOS transistor to the NMOS transistor; and a charge circuit for selectively programming the EPROM.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
101 words
In a programmable logic device in a single integrated circuit package, a reconfigurable memory comprising: an inverter having an input and an output; a PMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a drain coupled to the input of the inverter and a source coupled to a power supply potential; an NMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a source coupled to a ground potential and a drain; an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM) coupling the PMOS transistor to the NMOS transistor; and a charge circuit for selectively programming the EPROM.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
130 words
The reconfigurable memory of claim 1 wherein the EPROM further comprises: a first transistor having a drain coupled to the drain of the PMOS transistor, a source coupled to the drain of the NMOS transistor, a control gate and a floating gate for holding a charge; a second transistor having a control gate coupled to the control gate of the first transistor, a floating gate coupled to the floating gate of the first transistor, a source and a drain; a third transistor having a gate coupled to the input of the inverter, a drain coupled to the source of the second transistor and a source coupled to the ground potential; and a capacitor coupling the control gates of the first and second transistors to the gate of the NMOS transistor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
97 words
The reconfigurable memory of claim 1 wherein the charge circuit further comprises: a global control line coupled to the control gates of the first and second transistors; and a global programming line coupled to the drain of the third transistor; wherein a first voltage applied to the global control line and a second voltage applied to the global programming line cause the EPROM to be programmed with the input of the inverter; and wherein, upon a restoration of power to the programmable logic device, the input of the inverter is reconfigured with the contents of the EPROM.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
108 words
In a programmable logic device in a single integrated circuit package, a reconfigurable memory comprising: an inverter having an input and an output; a PMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a drain coupled to the input of the inverter and a source coupled to a power supply potential; an NMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a source coupled to a ground potential and a drain; an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) coupling the PMOS transistor to the NMOS transistor; and a charge circuit for selectively programming the EPROM with the input of the inverter.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
108 words
In a programmable logic device in a single integrated circuit package, a reconfigurable memory comprising: an inverter having an input and an output; a PMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a drain coupled to the input of the inverter and a source coupled to a power supply potential; an NMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a source coupled to a ground potential and a drain; an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM) coupling the PMOS transistor to the NMOS transistor; and a charge circuit for selectively programming the EPROM with the input of the inverter.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
65 words
The reconfigurable memory of claim 4 wherein the EEPROM further comprises: a hold transistor having a drain coupled to the drain of the PMOS transistor, a source coupled to the drain of the NMOS transistor, a control gate and a floating gate for holding a charge; and a tunneling diode coupling the gate of the NMOS transistor to the floating gate of the hold transistor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
70 words
The reconfigurable memory of claim 4 wherein the charge circuit further comprises a global control line coupled to the control gate of the hold transistor, wherein a voltage applied to the global control line causes the EEPROM to be programmed with the input of the inverter, and wherein, upon restoration of power to the programmable logic device, the input of the inverter is reconfigured with the contents of the EEPROM.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
111 words
The reconfigurable memory of claim 4 wherein the EEPROM further comprises: a hold transistor having a drain coupled to the drain of the PMOS transistor, a source coupled to the drain of the NMOS transistor, a control gate and a floating gate for holding a charge; a programming transistor having a source coupled to the gate of the NMOS transistor, a gate and a drain; an erase transistor having a drain, a gate coupled to the drain of the erase transistor and a source; and a diffusion node coupling the source of the erase transistor to the floating gate of the hold transistor and to the drain of the programming transistor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
115 words
The reconfigurable memory of claim 4 wherein the charge circuit further comprises: a global control line coupled to the control gate of the hold transistor; a global programming line coupled to the gate of the programming transistor; and a global erase line coupled to the drain of the erase transistor; wherein a first voltage applied to the global control line, a second voltage applied to the global programming line and a third voltage applied to the global erase line cause the EEPROM to be programmed with the input of the inverter; and wherein, upon restoration of power to the programmable logic device, the input of the inverter is reconfigured with the contents of the EEPROM.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
114 words
A reconfigurable memory on a single die in an integrated circuit package comprising: an inverter having an input and an output; a PMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a drain coupled to the input of the inverter and a source coupled to a power supply potential; an NMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a source coupled to a ground potential and a drain; a hold transistor having a drain coupled to the drain of the PMOS transistor, a source coupled to the drain of the NMOS transistor and a gate; and a charge circuit coupled to the gate of the hold transistor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
114 words
A reconfigurable memory on a single die in an integrated circuit package comprising: an inverter having an input and an output; a PMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a drain coupled to the input of the inverter and a source coupled to a power supply potential; an NMOS transistor having a gate coupled to the output of the inverter, a source coupled to a ground potential and a drain; a hold transistor having a drain coupled to the drain of the PMOS transistor, a source coupled to the drain of the NMOS transistor and a gate; and a charge circuit coupled to the gate of the hold transistor.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
51 words
The reconfigurable memory of claim 9 wherein a voltage applied to the charge circuit causes the hold transistor to be programmed with the input of the inverter, and wherein, upon restoration of power to the reconfigurable memory, the input of the inverter is reconfigured with the contents of the hold transistor.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
The reconfigurable memory of claim 9 wherein the hold transistor comprises an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
18 words
The reconfigurable memory of claim 9 wherein the hold transistor comprises an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1999-08-20 | 2000-02-19 | 2000-08-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-08-20 | 2004-02-19 | 2004-08-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-08-20 | 2008-02-19 | 2008-08-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |