1. A method of reconfiguring software at a software defined radio (SDR) terminal including one or more reconfigurable elements, the method comprising:
indentifying program installation time and program startup time with respect to the respective reconfigurable elements;
selecting a reconfigurable element from the one or more reconfigurable elements based on the program installation time and the program startup time; and
placing a program on the selected reconfigurable element.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein in the selecting of one reconfigurable element, a reconfigurable element having the largest sum of the program installation time and the program startup time is selected.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
prior to the selecting of one reconfigurable element, generating an element list including information of the respective reconfigurable elements upon receipt of a request for initiating a new wireless communication service; and
after the selecting is performed, deleting the selected reconfigurable element from the element list.
4. The method of claim 3, after the deleting of the selected reconfigurable element, further comprising:
determining whether or not the element list still includes other reconfigurable elements,
wherein when it is determined that other reconfigurable elements are included in the element list, a reconfigurable element is selected from the other reconfigurable elements.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein when it is determined that no other reconfigurable elements remain on the element list, the placing of the program is finished.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the placing of the program involves the copying of a corresponding program to a storage space associated with the selected reconfigurable element.
7. The method of claim 1, after placing of the program, further comprising requesting installation and startup of the program placed in the selected reconfigurable element.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein information about the program installation time and the program startup time is obtained from program installation configuration information.
9. The method of claim 3, wherein information of reconfigurable elements is obtained from program installation configuration information.
10. A software reconfiguring apparatus comprising:
one or more reconfigurable elements, the programming of each of which being reconfigurable; and
a control unit to select a configurable element from the reconfigurable elements based on program installation time and program startup time and to place the program on the selected reconfigurable element.
11. The software reconfiguring apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit selects a reconfigurable element having the largest sum of the program installation time and the program startup time.
12. The software reconfiguring apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:
an information storage unit to store information about the program and information about the one or more reconfigurable elements,
wherein the control unit identifies the program installation time and the program startup time with respect to the respective reconfigurable elements based on the information stored in the information storage unit.
13. The software reconfiguring apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control unit generates an element list of the reconfigurable elements based on the information stored in the information storing unit, selects one of the reconfigurable elements from the element list and deletes the selected reconfigurable element from the element list.
14. The software reconfiguring apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:
a common bus to provide a connection channel for data communications between the control unit and each of the reconfigurable elements,
wherein the control unit controls the common bus.
15. The software reconfiguring apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:
a plurality of memories dedicated to the respective reconfigurable elements,
wherein the control unit places the program on the selected reconfigurable element by copying the program information stored in the information storage unit to the memory dedicated to the selected reconfigurable element.
16. The software reconfiguring apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit requests the reconfigurable element in which the program is completely placed to install and start up the placed program.
17. The software reconfiguring apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit is a reconfigurable element.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A semiconductor device which has semiconductor elements, a wiring layer, and a plurality of interlayer insulating film layers on a semiconductor substrate, wherein
a seal ring which encloses a semiconductor element region is formed with a damascene wiring structure using conductor material which forms the wiring layer, said seal ring having a first side and a second side, said first side being nearer than said second side to the semiconductor element region, and
an isolated pocket group having a plurality of first and second isolated pockets of insulating material arranged in designated regions of the seal ring, said plurality of first isolated pockets constituting a first row of said isolated pocket group near said first side of said seal ring and said plurality of second isolated pockets constituting a second row of said isolated pocket group near said second side of said seal ring,
wherein said plurality of first and second isolated pockets are arranged in a zigzag pattern along said first and second sides of said seal ring adjacent the semiconductor element region, and a shortest distance between said first side of said seal ring and said first row of said isolated pocket group is smaller than a shortest distance between said second side of said seal ring and said second row of said isolated pocket group.
2. The semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seal ring is formed in a multilayer structure comprising an upper layer damascene wiring structure and a lower layer damascene wiring structure which are connected together, and the first and second isolated pockets of insulating material formed in designated regions in the upper layer damascene wiring structure are arranged to not be aligned over isolated pockets of insulating material formed in the lower layer damascene wiring structure.
3. A semiconductor chip comprising:
a semiconductor wafer;
a plurality of semiconductor elements within a semiconductor element region of the semiconductor wafer;
a plurality of interlayer insulating film layers overlying the semiconductor wafer and the semiconductor element region;
wiring layers within the plurality of interlayer insulating film layers and connected to the semiconductor elements;
a seal ring that encloses the semiconductor element region, said seal ring having a first side and a second side, said first side being nearer than said second side to the semiconductor element region,
the seal ring is a damascene wiring structure within a continuous groove in the plurality of interlayer insulating film layers along an entire periphery of the semiconductor wafer; and
a plurality of first and second isolated pockets of insulating material within the seal ring that extend through the continuous groove, wherein said plurality of first isolated pockets constitute a first row near said first side of said seal ring and said plurality of second isolated pockets constitute a second row near said second side of said seal ring, said plurality of first and second isolated pockets are arranged in a zigzag pattern, and a shortest distance between said first side of said seal ring and said first row of said first isolated pockets is smaller than a shortest distance between said second side of said seal ring and said second row of said second isolated pockets.