Sustainable advantage of a parallel configuration in an optical FPGA

Recently, static random access memory (SRAM)-based field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are used for various systems. Since such SRAM-based FPGAs are programmable, their use over a long period must accommodate the use of a partly damaged programmable gate array. However, since current FPGAs use a serial configuration line for their configuration and the serial configuration circuit is invariably first broken circuit. Therefore, currently available FPGAs cannot accommodate the use of a partly damaged programmable gate array. However, if a partly damaged programmable gate array could be used, then the lifetime of VLSIs would be increased drastically. To extend the lifetime of programmable devices, FPGA should use a parallel configuration architecture instead of the serial configuration architecture of currently available FPGAs. This paper therefore clarifies the benefits of the parallel configuration architecture on an optically re-configurable gate array (ORGA) VLSI using the designs of an ORGA-VLSI and a currently available serial-configuration FPGA.