IP Library Granted Patent US 7,123,515
Granted Patent B2
US 7,123,515 · App. 11/119,744 · Granted Oct 17, 2006

Semiconductor integrated circuit adapted to output pass/fail results of internal operations

Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,123,515
App. No.
11/119,744
Granted
Oct 17, 2006
Kind
B2
Abstract

In a semiconductor integrated circuit, an internal circuit is capable of executing a first operation and a second operation concurrently, and an output circuit outputs to the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit information indicating whether or not the first operation is being executed and information indicating whether or not the second operation is executable.

Claims (25)

1. A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising:

a PASS/FAIL decision circuit configured to decide a result of an immediately preceding operation and output a PASS/FAIL signal;

a PASS/FAIL holding circuit connected to receive the pass/fail signal for holding separately the pass/fail result of each of first and second operations which are performed successively; and

an output circuit configured to output the pass/fail result of each of the first and second operations held in the pass/fail holding circuit when the first and second operations are performed successively,

wherein the output circuit outputs to the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit both the pass/fail result of the first operation and the pass/fail result of the second operation after the termination of the first and second operations.

2. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising a cumulative pass/fail result holding circuit configured to accumulate the pass/fail result of each of the first and second operations, the output circuit outputs the cumulative pass/fail result held in the cumulative pass/fail result holding circuit.

3. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising a cumulative data holding circuit configured to hold separately each of cumulative pass/fail results output from the cumulative pass/fail result holding circuit, the output circuit outputs cumulative data held in the cumulative data holding circuit.

4. An operating method of a semiconductor integrated circuit comprising:

performing a first operation and a second operation in succession;

internally holding a pass/fail result of the first operation after the termination thereof;

internally holding a pass/fail result of the second operation after the termination thereof; and

outputting to the outside of the semiconductor integrated circuit both the pass/fail result of the first operation and the pass/fail result of the second operation after the termination of the first and second operations.

5. The operating method according to claim 4 , wherein the pass/fail result of the first operation and the pass/fail result of the second operation are output in time sequence.

6. The operating method according to claim 4 , wherein each of the first and second operations is a data program operation.

7. The operating method according to claim 4 , wherein, in addition to the pass/fail result of the first operation and the pass/fail result of the second operation, the cumulative result of the pass/fail results of the first and second operations is output.

8. The operating method according to claim 4 , wherein the first and second operations are performed in a nonvolatile semiconductor storage circuit having a memory cell array including nonvolatile memory cells.

9. The operating method according to claim 8 , wherein the memory cell array includes a number of NAND cells arrayed in rows and columns.

10. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a memory cell array having a plurality of memory cells, being selected according to an input address,

wherein both the first and the second operations, a first address is selected in the first operation, a second address is selected in the second operation and the first and the second addresses are different from each other.

11. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 10 , wherein voltages of gate electrodes of memory cells in the memory cell array are increased or decreased during each of the first and the second operations.

12. The semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 10 , wherein data of selected memory cells are changed during each of the first and the second operations.

13. The operating method according to claim 4 , wherein the semiconductor integrated circuit includes a memory cell array having a plurality of memory cells, being selected according to an input address, and both the first and the second operations, a first address is selected in the first operation, a second address is selected in the second operation and the first and the second addresses are different from each other.

14. The operating method according to claim 13 , wherein voltages of gate electrodes of memory cells in the memory cell array are increased or decreased during each of the first and the second operations.

15. The operating method according to claim 13 , wherein data of selected memory cells are changed during each of the first and the second operations.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: K.K. PANGEA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055669/0401 →
MERGER Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: K.K. PANGEA
Reel/Frame 055659/0471 →
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: KIOXIA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055669/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 26, 2017
From: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 043328/0388 →
Priority Claims (2)
JP 2001-386596 · Dec 19, 2001 · national
JP 2002-311475 · Oct 25, 2002 · national
Continuity (2)
Division 1031816700 · Dec 13, 2002
Related Publication 20050190602A1 · Sep 1, 2005