Memory module with a test device
View Patent ↗A memory module, which enables a module-internal, cross-chip electrical functional test of a plurality of integrated memory chips arranged on a printed circuit board of the memory module, includes a test device arranged separately from the memory chips on the printed circuit board. The test device relies on a clock signal provided by an external tester and generates the test signals required for carrying out the functional test and forwards the signals via control lines, address lines, data lines, and lines for the selection of individual memory chips to the latter. The partial integration of test functions into the test device enables a greater independence with respect to external electromagnetic interference influences without the space requirement of the memory module being increased overmuch.
1. A memory module, comprising:
an electronic printed circuit board;
a plurality of integrated memory chips arranged on the printed circuit board;
a test device arranged on the printed circuit board separately from the memory chips and configured to test the memory chips;
a control line for receiving control commands from the test device, the control line branching at a node into a plurality of control lines that respectively supply the control commands to the memory chips;
an address line for receiving address commands from the test device, the address line branching at a node into a plurality of address lines that respectively supply the address commands to the memory chips; and
a plurality of selections lines, each of the selection lines connecting an individual one of the memory chips to the test device, wherein the test device is configured to individually activate and deactivate memory chips for testing by supplying a selection signal to an individual memory chip on a respective selection line, such that the memory chips are individually selectable for testing via the selection lines;
wherein the test device, for testing the memory chips, autonomously generates the control commands, the address commands, and data values, without receiving any control command, address command, or data value from outside, in response to an external clock signal being supplied to the memory module, the test device supplying the control commands to the memory chips via the control lines and supplying the address commands to the memory chips via the address lines, the test device supplying the data values to the memory chips for storage in the memory chips during testing.
2. The memory module as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: a plurality of data lines for supplying the data values between the test device and the memory chips, each of the data lines connecting an individual one of the memory chips to the test device.
3. The memory module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the test device comprises an integrated semiconductor chip.
4. The memory module as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an input terminal configured to provide the external clock signal generated by an external clock generator to the test device.
5. The memory module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the test device comprises an evaluation unit configured to evaluate which of the memory chips performed successfully under test.
6. The memory module as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising:
at least one output terminal configured to provide a test result calculated by the evaluation unit to an external tester.
7. The memory module as claimed in claim 6 , wherein an input terminal and at least one output terminal are arranged in a contact strip of the memory module.
8. The memory module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the memory chips of the memory module are dynamic read-write memories.