International Business Machines Corporation

Nitin Sharma

Clarence Rosser Ogilvie

David W Milton

Tad Jeffrey Wilder

Robert Dov Herzl

Kenneth Anthony Lauricella

Robert Spencer Horton

Paul Mark Schanely

Charles B Winn

Sebastian Theodore Ventrone

Kenneth Joseph Goodnow

Charles S Woodruff

Douglas P Nadeau

Tapas Kumar Das

Jingxue Shen

A method of forming and electrical structure. The method includes determining that a first semiconductor device requires an engineering change order (ECO). An additional structure layer required to implement the ECO is determined. A first insertion point location for inserting the additional structure layer within the first semiconductor device is selected. The first insertion point location is associated with a second insertion point location within a design for a second semiconductor device. The second semiconductor device is generated in accordance with the first ECO. The second semiconductor device comprises second structures. The second structures comprise same structures as first structures in the first semiconductor device. The second structures are formed in locations within the second semiconductor device that are associated with locations in the first semiconductor device comprising the first structures. The second semiconductor device comprises the additional structure layer located within the second insertion point location.

Semiconductor layer forming method and structure

A chip design methodology. The methodology includes identifying engineering changeable logic, and replacing the identified engineering changeable logic with flexible logic blocks (FLB).

Method for identifying and implementing flexible logic block logic for easy engineering changes

A design structure for identifying engineering changeable logic, and replacing the identified engineering changeable logic with flexible logic blocks (FLB). The design structure is embodied in a machine readable medium for designing, manufacturing, or testing an integrated circuit.

Structure for identifying and implementing flexible logic block logic for easy engineering changes

A method is provided for updating an existing netlist to reflect a design change. A register transfer level (RTL) design incorporating the design change and the existing netlist are provided to a synthesis tool. The existing netlist is set to a read-only condition to prevent a change to the existing netlist. The design and the read-only existing netlist are processed with the synthesis tool reusing logic structures from the read-only existing netlist by performing an optimization of the design and the read-only existing netlist with an objective to minimize the design space. The optimization is constrained by the read-only existing netlist. A result is generated by the synthesis tool including the existing netlist and a new portion of a netlist reflecting the design change.

Minimizing impact of design changes for integrated circuit designs

A design structure is embodied in a machine readable medium for designing, manufacturing, or testing a design. The design structure includes a threshold register having a counter, a count register, and a non-volatile storage for storing a state when a value of the count register equals or exceeds a value of the threshold register. Also provided is a method of predicting and/or estimating a power cycle duration in order to save a state in non-volatile memory and a circuit. The method includes setting a threshold value; determining that the threshold value has been equaled or exceeded; and saving the state in the non-volatile memory at a first checkpoint based on the threshold value being equaled or exceeded.

Design structure for estimating and/or predicting power cycle length, method of estimating and/or predicting power cycle length and circuit thereof

An design structure for measuring power consumed during operation of an integrated circuit. The design structure including: a data processing circuit having an input and an output, the data processing circuit configured to generate an output data signal on based on an input data signal; a power measurement circuit configured to measure an amount of electrical power consumed by the processing circuit in generating the output signal from the input signal, the power measurement circuit connected between the processing circuit and a power supply for the processing circuit; and a memory element configured to store a tag containing a value representing the amount of electrical power consumed by the processing circuit in generating the output data signal from the input data signal and either (a) the input data of the input data signal or (b) a pointer to the input data of the input data signal.

Design structure for measurement of power consumption within an integrated circuit

Authentication mechanisms for accessing one or more applications by a user by using collaborative agents for automating authentication to the one or more applications. The use of collaborative agents obviates a need for the user to remember fortified authentication credentials for each application.

Fortified authentication on multiple computers using collaborative agents

A design structure embodied in a machine-readable medium is disclosed in one embodiment of the invention as including a flexible logic block to facilitate engineering changes at selected locations within an IC. The flexible logic block has a consistent and identifiable structure such that a simple automated process may be used to reconfigure the structure to perform different logical operations. In certain embodiments, the flexible logic block includes a circuit, such as a multiplexer, having multiple inputs and at least one output. A metal interconnect structure is coupled to the inputs and enables connection of each of the inputs to one of several electrical potentials using a focused-ion-beam (FIB) tool. In this way, the circuit may be configured to perform different logical operations after components in the IC exist in hardware.

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South Burlington, VT, United States of America

Nitin Sharma