Ultra-fine-grain field-programmable VLSI using multiple-valued source-coupled logic

An ultra - fine - grain field - programmable VLSI processor using multiple-valued source-coupled logic called MV-FPVLSI is proposed for Implementing special purpose processors. To reduce the complexity of the interconnection blocks, a bit-serial pipeline architecture is employed. It also involves program-counter-less processor architecture based on direct allocation. The MV-FPVLSI consists of cells which are arranged in 2-D mesh array. Unlike a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), data transmission occurs only between two adjacent cells and the overall data transmission delay is very small. Each cell consists of programmable multiple-valued-source coupled logic (MVSCL) circuits. Instead of using lookup tables, ultra-fine-grain logic operations can be done using MVSCL circuits. Moreover using the same hardware resources, each cell can be reconfigured to operate as one of a logic function, a memory function and a counter function. Additional versatility can be achieved through current- mode operation.