IP Library Granted Patent US 12,040,039
Granted Patent B2
US 12,040,039 · App. 17/821,252 · Granted Jul 16, 2024

Semiconductor device having syndrome generator

Inventors: Kenya Adachi (Tokyo, JP); Takuya Nakanishi (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
G11C29/56008H03M13/1575H03M13/611
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,040,039
App. No.
17/821,252
Granted
Jul 16, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus that includes a memory cell array, an I/O terminal supplied with an original write data in a normal operation, a compression logic circuit configured to generate a compressed test data in a test operation based on a test read data read from the memory cell array, and a syndrome generator configured to generate a first syndrome based on the original write data in the normal operation and generate a second syndrome based on the compressed test data in the test operation.

Claims (63)

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory cell array;

an I/O terminal supplied with an original write data in a normal operation;

a compression logic circuit configured to generate a compressed test data in a test operation based on a test read data read from the memory cell array; and

a syndrome generator configured to generate a first syndrome based on the original write data in the normal operation and generate a second syndrome based on the compressed test data in the test operation.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a corrected write data obtained by correcting the original write data by using the first syndrome is written in the memory cell array in the normal operation corresponding to a write operation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second syndrome is output from the I/O terminal in the test operation.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising a data bus,

wherein the original write data is transferred from the I/O terminal to the syndrome generator via the data bus in the write operation.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the test read data is transferred from the memory cell array to the compression logic circuit via the data bus in the test operation.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the compressed test data is transferred from the compression logic circuit to the syndrome generator via the data bus in the test operation.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a read data read from the memory cell array is transferred from the memory cell array to the I/O terminal via the data bus in the normal operation corresponding to a read operation.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 ,

wherein the data bus includes first and second data buses and

wherein the original write data is transferred from the I/O terminal to the syndrome generator via selected one of the first and second data buses in the write operation.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the test read data is simultaneously transferred to the compression logic circuit via both the first and second data buses in the test operation.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the compressed test data is simultaneously transferred from the compression logic circuit to the syndrome generator via both the first and second data buses in the test operation.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a memory cell array;

a first circuit including a syndrome generator configured to generate a syndrome;

a second circuit including a compression logic circuit configured to generate a compressed test data;

a data bus coupled between the first and second circuits; and

a control circuit,

wherein, in a test operation, the control circuit is configured to:

control the first circuit to transfer a test read data read from the memory cell array to the second circuit via the data bus;

control the second circuit to generate the compressed test data by inputting the test read data to the compression logic circuit;

control the second circuit to transfer the compressed test data to the first circuit via the data bus; and

control the first circuit to generate the syndrome by inputting the compressed test data to the syndrome generator.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 ,

wherein the second circuit further includes a plurality of data I/O terminals, and

wherein the syndrome is output to outside via at least one of the plurality of data I/O terminals.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the syndrome is output to outside via one of the plurality of data I/O terminals in serial.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 ,

wherein the second circuit further includes a parity terminal, and

wherein, in a normal operation corresponding to a write operation, the control circuit is configured to:

control the second circuit to transfer a write data supplied to the plurality of data I/O terminals and a parity data supplied to the parity terminal to the first circuit via the data bus;

control the first circuit to generate the syndrome by inputting the write data and the parity data to the syndrome generator;

control the first circuit to correct the write data by using the syndrome; and

control the first circuit to write the corrected write data to the memory cell array.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein, in the normal operation corresponding to a read operation, the control circuit is configured to:

control the first circuit to transfer a read data read from the memory cell array to the second circuit via the data bus; and

control the second circuit to output the read data to the plurality of data I/O terminals.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 ,

wherein the data bus includes first and second data buses, and

wherein selected one of the first and second data buses is used per issuance of a command in the read operation or the write operation.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein both the first and second data buses are simultaneously used in the test operation.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of memory banks including first and second memory banks;

an I/O circuit including a compression logic circuit;

a buffer circuit coupled between the plurality of memory banks and the I/O circuit; and

first and second data buses coupled in parallel between the I/O circuit and the buffer circuit,

wherein, in a normal operation corresponding to a read operation, the buffer circuit is configured to transfer a read data read from the first memory bank to the I/O circuit by using selected one of the first and second data buses,

wherein, in the normal operation corresponding to a write operation,

the I/O circuit is configured to transfer a write data to the buffer circuit by using selected one of the first and second data buses, and

the buffer circuit is configured to transfer the write data to the first memory bank, and

wherein, in a test operation,

the buffer circuit is configured to transfer first and second test data read from the first and second memory banks, respectively, to the I/O circuit by using the first and second data buses, respectively,

the compression logic circuit is configured to generate first and second compressed test data based on the first and second test data, respectively, and

the I/O circuit is configured to transfer the first and second compressed test data to the buffer circuit by using the first and second data buses, respectively.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 ,

wherein the buffer circuit includes a syndrome generator, and

wherein the syndrome generator is configured to generate a first syndrome based on the write data in the write operation.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the syndrome generator is configured to generate a second syndrome based on the first and second compressed test data in the test operation.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 22, 2022
From: ADACHI, KENYA; NAKANISHI, TAKUYA
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC
Reel/Frame 060856/0992 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240062843A1 · Feb 22, 2024