Real-time reconfigurable logic circuits using neuron MOS transistors

A highly-flexible real-time-reconfigurable logic circuit implemented using a regular CMOS process is presented. The circuit, called soft-hardware logic (SHL), can alter its logic function (e.g. AND, OR, NAND, NOR, Exclusive OR, Exclusive NOR) in real time according to external control signals with no hardware modification. The circuit is one application of the neuron MOSFET (neuMOS or vMOS), a multiple-input functional MOS transistor simulating the function of biological neurons by a single device. The concept has been verified by experiments using test circuits fabricated by a standard double-polysilicon CMOS process. Details on the operational principle of the SHL circuit as well as design techniques are presented. One extension of this vMOS concept is a dynamic data-matching circuit in which rules for data matching are time-variable. Circuit operation has been verified by experiments.<>