IP Library Granted Patent US 10,018,673
Granted Patent B2
US 10,018,673 · App. 14/848,894 · Granted Jul 10, 2018

Semiconductor device and current control method of semiconductor device

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 10,018,673
App. No.
14/848,894
Granted
Jul 10, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises an integrated circuit having a plurality of current modes different in operation current; a voltage sensor that detects a voltage in use by the integrated circuit; a BIST control circuit that generates BIST patterns different in the operation current and creates a flag indicating the success or failure of a BIST corresponding to the operation current based on the result of detecting the voltage while the integrated circuit is made to operate based on the BIST pattern; and a storing unit that stores the flag. The integrated circuit sets the current mode based on the flag.

Claims (50)

1. A semiconductor device comprising:

an integrated circuit having a plurality of current modes different in operation current;

a voltage sensor that detects a voltage in use by the integrated circuit;

a built-in self test (BIST) control circuit that generates BIST patterns different in the operation current and creates a flag indicating the success or failure of a BIST corresponding to the operation current based on the result of detecting the voltage while the integrated circuit operates based on the BIST pattern; and

a storing circuit that stores the flag,

wherein the integrated circuit sets the current mode based on the flag, and

wherein the BIST control circuit generates the BIST patterns in the order in which the operation current becomes smaller, and if the BIST has succeeded with a BIST pattern having the Nth largest operation current, where N is a positive integer, stores a flag indicating the success of a BIST in the Nth current mode into the storing unit.

2. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein at power-on, the integrated circuit reads the flag indicating the success of the BIST in the Nth current mode and sets the current mode to be the Nth current mode.

3. The semiconductor device of claim 1 ,

wherein at power-on, the integrated circuit reads the flag indicating the success of the BIST in the Nth current mode, and

wherein after resetting the flag indicating the success of the BIST in the Nth current mode, the BIST control circuit creates the flag indicating the success or failure of the BIST again based on the BIST pattern having the Nth or later operation current.

4. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , comprising a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the integrated circuit,

wherein the BIST control circuit corrects a threshold of the voltage indicating the success or failure of the BIST based on a result of detecting the temperature.

5. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , comprising a power supply sensor that detects a power supply voltage of the integrated circuit,

wherein the BIST control circuit corrects a threshold of the voltage indicating the success or failure of the BIST based on a result of detecting the power supply voltage.

6. The semiconductor device of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is a NAND controller.

7. The semiconductor device of claim 6 ,

wherein the NAND controller comprises an ECC circuit that corrects errors in data written in a NAND memory,

wherein the ECC circuit comprises a BIST pattern generator that generates a BIST pattern which causes the operation current of the ECC circuit to be largest, and

wherein the BIST control circuit creates a flag indicating the success or failure of the BIST based on the result of detecting the voltage while the ECC circuit is made to operate based on the BIST pattern.

8. The semiconductor device of claim 7 , wherein the ECC circuit comprises:

an encoder that adds parity to data to be written into the NAND memory; and

a decoder that performs a parity check on data read from the NAND memory,

wherein the BIST pattern generator generates a BIST pattern which causes the operation current of the decoder to be largest, and

wherein the BIST control circuit creates a flag indicating the success or failure of the BIST based on the result of detecting the voltage while the decoder is made to operate based on the BIST pattern.

9. The semiconductor device of claim 6 , wherein the NAND controller comprises:

a CPU;

a host interface that mediates in data transfer with a host;

a NAND interface that mediates in data transfer with a NAND memory; and

a clock control circuit that controls a clock frequency of the integrated circuit.

10. A current control method of a semiconductor device comprising:

generating BIST patterns different in the operation current of an integrated circuit;

detecting a voltage in use by the integrated circuit while the integrated circuit is made to operate based on the BIST pattern;

creating a flag indicating the success or failure of a BIST based on the result of detecting the voltage so as to be stored; and

setting a current mode of the integrated circuit based on the flag,

wherein, in the generating of the BIST patterns, the BIST patterns are generated in the order in which the operation current becomes smaller, and

wherein, in the creating of the flag, if the BIST has succeeded with a BIST pattern having the Nth largest operation current, where N is a positive integer, a flag indicating the success of a BIST in the Nth current mode is stored.

11. The current control method of claim 10 , further comprising: at power-on, reading the flag indicating the success of the BIST in the Nth current mode and setting the current mode of the integrated circuit to be the Nth current mode.

12. The current control method of claim 10 , further comprising: at power-on, reading the flag indicating the success of the BIST in the Nth current mode, and creating, after resetting the flag indicating the success of the BIST in the Nth current mode, the flag indicating the success or failure of the BIST again based on the BIST pattern having the Nth or later operation current.

13. The current control method of claim 10 , further comprising: correcting a threshold of the voltage indicating the success or failure of the BIST based on a result of detecting a temperature of the integrated circuit.

14. The current control method of claim 10 , further comprising: correcting a threshold of the voltage indicating the success or failure of the BIST based on a result of detecting a power supply voltage of the integrated circuit.

15. The current control method of claim 10 , wherein the integrated circuit is a NAND controller.

16. The current control method of claim 15 ,

wherein the NAND controller comprises an ECC circuit that corrects errors in data written in a NAND memory, and

wherein the current control method further comprises: creating a flag indicating the success or failure of the BIST based on the result of detecting the voltage while the ECC circuit is made to operate based on each of BIST patterns different in the operation current of the ECC circuit.

17. The current control method of claim 16 , wherein the ECC circuit comprises:

an encoder that adds parity to data to be written into the NAND memory; and

a decoder that performs a parity check on data read from the NAND memory,

wherein the current control method further comprises: creating BIST patterns different in the operation current of the decoder, and creating a flag indicating the success or failure of the BIST based on the result of detecting the voltage while the decoder is made to operate based on each of the BIST patterns.

18. The current control method of claim 15 , wherein the NAND controller further controls a clock frequency of the integrated circuit, thereby setting the current mode of the integrated circuit.

Assignments (5)
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 →
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: K.K. PANGEA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055669/0401 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 5, 2017
From: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 043088/0620 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 3, 2016
From: KUROSAWA, YASUHIKO
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Reel/Frame 037654/0908 →