Circuit design for a large area high-performance crossbar switch

Abstract

The methodology for circuit design of large area ICs (LAICs) is discussed. The partitioning and layout strategies for a self-testing, self-reconfigurating LAIC are formulated. It is shown that by proper layout design the circuit sensitivity to the manufacturing defects can be drastically decreased. A LAIC crossbar switch chip, which served as a vehicle for the experimental verification of the described ideas, was designed, fabricated and successfully tested. The built-in current (BIC) sensor was used in the fabricated crossbar IC in order to perform self-testing and self-reconfiguration purposes.<>