Abstract: An IO structure, method, and apparatus are disclosed for using an IEEE™ 1149.1 boundary scan latch to reroute a functional path. The method for a chip using IEEE™ 1149.1 boundary scan latches may include using the IEEE™ 1149.1 boundary scan latches for testing IO on the chip in a test mode. The method may also include using information stored in the IEEE™ 1149.1 boundary scan latches to route signals around a failing path in a functional mode.

Abstract: The invention provides a data read method. In one embodiment, a flash memory comprises a plurality of pages, and predetermined information is written into each of the pages of the flash memory. First, a target address of the flash memory is read according to a source read voltage to obtain source data and a source error correction code. When error bits of the source data cannot be corrected according to the source error correction code, the predetermined information corresponding to the source data is read from the flash memory according to the source read voltage to obtain correction information. The source data and the source error correction code are then amended according to the difference between the predetermined information and the correction information to obtain an amended data and an amended error correction code. Error bits of the amended data are then corrected according to the amended error correction code.

Abstract: It is determined that a read count has reached one of a set of read count thresholds. An initial test page which corresponds to the read count threshold that has been reached is selected from a set of initial test pages. There is at least one page that is not in the set of initial test pages and is victimized by an offending page that also victimizes a page in the set of initial test pages. A test read is performed on the selected test page and the results of the test read of the selected test page are evaluated for read disturb noise.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a memory management method for a rewritable non-volatile memory module. The rewritable non-volatile memory module includes physical programming units, each of which includes multiple bits. The memory management method includes: identifying a first physical programming unit by applying a predetermined read voltage, where the first physical programming unit is identified as in a fully-erased status; identifying a second and a third physical programming units which are programmed before the first physical programming unit; acquiring status data of the second and the third physical programming unit; computing a difference of the status data between the second and the third physical programming unit; if the difference is larger than a threshold, identifying the second physical programming unit as in a program failure status.

Abstract: A method for preventing read-disturb errors, a memory storage apparatus and a memory control circuit unit are provided. The method includes counting an operation numerical value when receiving an operation command from the host system, wherein a first physical erasing unit is selected for executing the operation command. The method also includes selecting a second physical erasing unit and reading data from the second erasing unit. The method further includes determining whether a data error occurs at the second physical erasing unit according to the data read from the second physical erasing unit, and if the data error occurs, selecting a third physical erasing unit, correcting the data read from the second physical erasing unit to generate corrected data and writing the corrected data into the third physical erasing unit.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for wireless communication in a wireless communication network include determining a transmit data packet size at a transmitting device and computing an early termination scheme associated with a receiving device. Aspects of the methods and apparatus include increasing a transmission length of a Cycle Redundancy Check (CRC) field associated with the transmit data packet before transmission of the transmit data packet, wherein the transmitted length of the CRC field is based on the early decoding scheme. Aspects also include transmitting the transmit data packet with the increased transmission length of the CRC field to the receiving device.

Abstract: A method of operating a nonvolatile memory block includes reading data from physical units in the block and determining individual error rates for data from the physical units. The error rate data is stored. This is repeated over multiple iterations and aggregated stored error rates are used to identify bad physical units in the block.

Abstract: Test circuitry for an integrated circuit (IC) that has a scan chain includes a control unit for applying a test pattern and a clock signal to the scan chain, and for varying the level of a supply voltage during a scan test procedure. In a first test phase, the supply voltage is set to the rated voltage level of the IC while a test pattern is shifted into the scan chain at a fast rate. A second, capture phase is run at a lower rate and the supply voltage is reduced to a lower level such that defects that cannot be detected when the capture phase is run at the rated voltage are observable yet switching elements in the IC still function correctly. Running the shift phase at the higher speed reduces the overall test time compared with known very low voltage (VLV) scan test procedures.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided to test an integrated circuit by identifying first and second components of an integrated circuit. The first and second components may share a relationship that causes the first and second components to generate a matching binary output in response to an input to the integrated circuit. A tap point may be selected within the integrated circuit. The tap point may be located at a point in the integrated circuit where an insertion of a bypass structure would affect the relationship. The bypass structure may be inserted at the tap point, and the bypass structure may be used to conduct a test of the integrated circuit.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for identifying non-intrinsic defect bits from a population of failing bits for failure analysis to characterize the extrinsic failure mechanisms is provided. Embodiments include performing a failure mode test on a bank of a memory array at different low VDD; determining optimal bank size to observe plateaus of fail counts; determining fail counts of the bank at each different low VDD; determining a plateau of the fail counts; determining whether the plateau represents extrinsic bits of the bank; and submitting the extrinsic bits for root cause analysis.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided to test an integrated circuit by identifying first and second components of an integrated circuit. The first and second components may share a relationship that causes the first and second components to generate a matching binary output in response to an input to the integrated circuit. A tap point may be selected within the integrated circuit. The tap point may be located at a point in the integrated circuit where an insertion of a bypass structure would affect the relationship. The bypass structure may be inserted at the tap point, and the bypass structure may be used to conduct a test of the integrated circuit.

Abstract: A CRC (cyclic redundancy check) generator circuit (28) generates a first CRC code based on a message. The CRC code is amended to the message, creating a first data packet. Circuitry transforms the first data packet to a second data packet for suitable transmission. Digital receiver circuitry receives the second data packet. A CRC verification circuit compares a received digital CRC code portion of the second data packet to a calculated digital CRC code portion. A message is presented for processing if no error is detected. A CRC-based FEC (forward error correction) circuit receives the message and calculates a digital CRC code from the verification circuit. When an error is detected, the detected error, based on a determination of whether the detected error affects an even number of bits or an odd number of bits, is corrected.

Abstract: A technique capable of estimating an error point in a logic diagram appropriately. A logic diagram display device includes: a signal line correctness/incorrectness determining unit that determines for each test whether each signal line in the logic diagram is correct or incorrect based on a signal line status value of each signal line and a test table; and a signal line correctness/incorrectness result summarizing unit that calculates a correctness/incorrectness result summarized value of each signal line based on a result of determination about the correctness or incorrectness of each signal line. The logic diagram display device further includes: an error signal line estimating unit that estimates an error in each signal line based on the correctness/incorrectness result summarized value of each signal line; and a display that displays each signal line in the logic diagram in a display style responsive to the error in each signal line.

Abstract: An embodiment of a method for accessing a storage unit of a flash memory, performed by a control unit, is disclosed to include at least the following steps. A transaction is appended to a bad-column table each time a bad column of a block within the storage unit is inspected. It is determined whether a total number of the transactions within the bad-column table is odd when the control unit determines that the last column of the block is a regular column. A transaction is appended to the bad-column table to indicate that the last column of the block is a bad column when the control unit determines that the total number of the transactions within the bad-column table is odd.

Abstract: A method for data storage includes reading storage values, which represent stored data, from a group of memory cells using read thresholds, and deriving respective soft reliability metrics for the storage values. The storage values are classified into two or more subgroups based on a predefined classification criterion. Independently within each subgroup, a subgroup-specific distribution of the storage values in the subgroup is estimated, and the soft reliability metrics of the storage values in the subgroup are corrected based on the subgroup-specific distribution. The stored data is decoded using the corrected soft reliability metrics.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a plurality of devices connected in series with one another, each of the devices comprising a test enable pin for receiving a test enable signal that indicates enablement of a test mode, and a test output pin for outputting a test output signal in the test mode, and a controller coupled to the devices and comprising an additional test output pin for outputting a test channel output signal, wherein a failure of at least one of the test output signals and the test channel output signal indicates the existence of one or more potential defects associated with the plurality of devices and the controller.

Abstract: An integrated circuit memory includes a memory array, including a plurality of data lines. A buffer structure is coupled to the plurality of data lines, including a plurality of storage elements to store bit-level status values for the plurality of data lines. The memory includes logic to indicate bundle-level status values of corresponding bundles of storage elements in the buffer structure based on the bit-level status values of bits in the corresponding bundles. A plurality of bundle status circuits is arranged in a daisy chain and coupled to respective bundles in the buffer structure, producing an output of the daisy chain indicating detection of a bundle in the first status. Control circuitry executes cycles to determine the output of the daisy chain, each cycle clearing a bundle status circuit indicating the first status if the output indicates detection of a bundle in the first status in the cycle.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for transmitting and receiving information in a broadcasting/communication system. The method includes comparing a number of bits of an information word to be transmitted with a predetermined threshold value; if the number of bits of the information word is less than the predetermined threshold value, determining a first parameter pair; if the number of bits of the information word is not less than the predetermined threshold value, determining a second parameter pair; determining a number of bits to be punctured based on one of the first parameter pair and the second parameter pair; and puncturing the determined number of bits to be punctured, with respect to parity bits of a codeword generated by encoding the information word.

Abstract: A circuit provides parallel computation of error codes for simultaneously received words. The words received simultaneously may be portions of a common data message, or may be portions of distinct data messages. Accordingly, the circuit selectively accumulates the error codes based on their association with successive data words, outputting an accumulated error code when the last word of a data message has been received and the respective error code is calculated. Based on such information, the error codes calculated in parallel can be output independently, accumulated with one another, or accumulated with the error codes of a previous or subsequent calculation cycle. Thus, the circuit dynamically provides a single parallel error code generation of a given width or multiple parallel error code generations, each of a width divisible by the given width.

Abstract: Example apparatus and methods treat some erasure codes differently than other erasure codes. For example, erasure codes that are only involved in error-recovery may never be read and thus may be stored using a different approach than erasure codes that are involved in more regular data reading. If different types of data stores are available, then the erasure codes that are more likely to be read may be stored in data stores having a first (e.g., higher, faster) type of read performance while the erasure codes that are less likely to be read may be stored in data stores having a second (e.g., lower, slower, less expensive) type of read performance. Different data stores may be located on different data storage devices. Different data stores may even be located on a single data storage device.