Using Field-Repairable Control Logic to Correct Design Errors in Microprocessors

Functional correctness is a vital attribute of any hardware design. Unfortunately, due to extremely complex architectures, widespread components, such as microprocessors, are often released with latent bugs. The inability of modern verification tools to handle the fast growth of design complexity exacerbates the problem even further. In this paper, we propose a novel hardware-patching mechanism, called the field-repairable control logic (FRCL), that is designed for in-the-field correction of errors in the design's control logic--the most common type of defects, as our analysis demonstrates. Our solution introduces an additional component in the processor's hardware, a state matcher, that can be programmed to identify erroneous configurations using signals in the critical control state of the processor. Once a flawed configuration is "matched," the processor switches into a degraded mode, a mode of operation which excludes most features of the system and is simple en...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: TCAD
• Authors: Ilya Wagner, Valeria Bertacco, Todd M. Austin
• Keywords: Control Logic, Critical Control State, Designs, TCAD 2008