System and method for testing and debugging analog circuits in a memory controller
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus is presented for debugging and testing a memory controller. In one embodiment, a testing interface is presented for performing stuck-at testing. In a second embodiment, a testing interface is presented for observing clock timing in a memory controller.
1. A test circuit, comprising:
a delay line containing a plurality of delay elements; and
a test interface circuit coupled to the delay line, the test interface circuit comprising a multiplexer circuit that includes at least one multiplexer, the multiplexer circuit configured to operate in one of a normal mode and a test mode, wherein in the normal mode of operation the multiplexer circuit is operable to route a first clock into the delay line for implementing a desired delay upon the first clock, and wherein in the test mode of operation, the multiplexer circuit is configured to provide an option for selecting and routing into the delay line one of:
a) a test clock for generating a system clock having known timing parameters, or
b) a first steady state signal, the first steady state signal selected to be one of a logic high level or a logic low level for placing the delay line in an all-ones or an all-zero condition respectively for carrying out one of a) a stuck-at-zero test or b) a stuck-at-one test of the delay line.
2. The test circuit of claim 1 , wherein the delay line is an analog delay line and each of the plurality of delay elements comprises logic gates arranged in a combinatorial circuit that is operative to provide a desired signal propagation delay through the combinatorial circuit.
3. The test circuit of claim 2 , wherein the analog delay line contains a forward path, a reverse path, and a read path, for signal flow through the analog delay line.
4. The test circuit of claim 3 , wherein the test circuit further comprises a memory storage element coupled to an intermediate location in the read path for reading a signal condition of the read path during the stuck-at-zero test or the stuck-at-one test.
5. The test circuit of claim 3 , further comprising:
a first memory storage element coupled to a first location of the read path for reading a signal transmitted out of a first of the plurality of delay elements; and
a second memory storage element coupled to a second location of the read path for reading a signal transmitted out of a second of the plurality of delay elements.
6. The test circuit of claim 5 , wherein the first and the second storage elements are coupled to each other as part of a test scan chain.
7. The test circuit of claim 3 , wherein each of the plurality of delay elements is configurable to couple a signal from the forward path to the reverse path.
8. The test circuit of claim 3 , wherein each of the plurality of delay elements includes a select line that is asserted to propagate a signal through the delay element along the forward path.
9. The test circuit of claim 8 , wherein the select line is further asserted to route the signal from the forward path into the reverse path.
10. The test circuit of claim 1 , wherein the multiplexer circuit comprises:
a first multiplexer having a first input terminal into which is coupled the test clock, a second input terminal into which is coupled the first steady state signal, an input-selector terminal into which is coupled a first control signal, and an output terminal that outputs a first multiplexer output signal; and
a second multiplexer having a first input terminal into which is coupled the first clock, a second input terminal into which is coupled the first multiplexer output signal, an input-selector terminal into which is coupled a second control signal, and an output terminal that outputs a second multiplexer output signal which is coupled into the delay line.
11. The test circuit of claim 10 , further comprising an OR gate having a first input terminal into which is coupled the first steady state signal, a second input terminal into which is coupled a second steady state signal, and an output terminal that outputs the first control signal which is coupled into the input-selector terminal of the first multiplexer.
12. A test circuit, comprising:
a first delay line configured to provide a first delay path, the first delay line having a first delay line input into which is coupled a first signal, and a first delay line output which outputs a delayed first signal;
a second delay line configured to provide a second delay path that is not concatenated with the first delay path, the second delay line having a second delay line input into which is coupled a second signal that bears no relationship to the first signal, and a second delay line output which outputs a delayed second signal; and
a signal observation circuit configured for at least a) observing the first signal before and after propagating through the first delay line, or b) observing the second signal before and after propagating through the second delay line, the signal observation circuit comprising:
a first multiplexer circuit coupled to the first and the second delay line inputs, the first multiplexer circuit including a first select line operable to route out of the first multiplexer circuit one of a) the first signal or b) the second signal; and
a second multiplexer circuit coupled to the first and the second delay line outputs, the second multiplexer circuit including a second select line operable to route out of the second multiplexer circuit one of a) the delayed first signal or b) the delayed second signal.
13. The test circuit of claim 12 , wherein each of the first and the second delay lines contains a forward path, a reverse path, and a read path, for signal flow through the delay line.
14. The test circuit of claim 13 , wherein each of the first and the second delay lines contains a plurality of delay elements, and each of the delay elements includes a select line that is asserted to propagate a signal through the delay element along the forward path.
15. The test circuit of claim 14 , wherein the select line is further asserted to route the signal from the forward path into the reverse path.
16. The test circuit of claim 12 , wherein the first signal is a clock signal.
17. A test method, comprising:
routing a first clock through a delay line for implementing a desired delay on the first clock during a normal mode of operation; and
switching from the normal mode of operation to a test mode of operation, wherein the test mode of operation comprises:
propagating a test clock though the delay line for generating a system clock having known timing parameters; or
a stuck-at-one test and a stuck-at-zero test of the delay line, wherein the stuck-at-one test is performed by routing a logic high level into the delay line and the stuck-at-zero test is performed by routing a logic low level into the delay line.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the delay line contains a plurality of delay elements each of which comprises logic gates arranged in a combinatorial circuit operative to provide a desired signal propagation delay through the combinatorial circuit.