Abstract: A test and measurement device includes an input for receiving a test waveform from a Device Under Test (DUT), where the test waveform has a plurality of input level transitions, a selector structured to respectively and individually extract only those portions of the test waveform that match two or more predefined patterns of input level transitions of the test waveform, a noise compensator structured to individually determine and remove, for each of the extracted portions of the waveform, a component of a jitter measurement caused by random noise of the test and measurement device receiving the test waveform, a summer structured to produce a composite distribution of timing measurements with removed noise components from the extracted portions of the test waveform, and a jitter processor structured to determine a first noise-compensated jitter measurement of the DUT from the composite distribution. Methods of determining noise-compensated jitter measurements are also disclosed.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a masking signal generation circuit configured to generate a test masking signal by receiving a fuse data during a period in which a test masking mode is executed; and a test mode signal generation circuit configured to, when a test command for executing a test in an internal circuit is input, execute the test based on the test masking signal.

Abstract: A method for bit error rate testing a processing unit using a bit error rate tester (BERT) includes transmitting a signal pair to a receiver of the processing unit, the signal pair having jitter levels complying with a jitter threshold, tuning the signal pair to obtain a first stressed eye measurement for the receiver, wherein the first stressed eye measurement complies with a stressed eye mask, placing the processing unit into a loop-back mode, wherein data transmitted to the processing unit by the BERT is transmitted back to the BERT, transmitting a data pattern to the processing unit, receiving a looped back version of the data pattern from the processing unit, and calculating a bit error rate in accordance with the data pattern and the looped back version of the data pattern.

Abstract: A clock self-testing method and circuit. The clock self-testing method includes introducing a first clock signal and a second clock signal, counting cycles of the first clock signal and the second clock signal respectively beginning at the same moment, and if one of the number of cycles of the first clock signal being counted and the number of cycles of the second clock signal being counted is equal to N, determining whether the remained number of cycles is in a count range from M to N. If the remained number of cycles is out of the count range from M to N, the first clock signal and the second clock signal have errors.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a test method and a test apparatus for a semiconductor device. The test method includes: forming a plurality of test values based on a first retention time range and a first step size, and sequentially testing a plurality of memory cells in the semiconductor device based on the plurality of test values in ascending order; determining, during tests corresponding to each test value, a memory cell whose retention time is less than the test value, and recording a position and corresponding test value of the memory cell whose retention time is less than the test value, to form first test data; a similar method is applied to form second test data; and determining, based on the first test data and the second test data, positions and corresponding test values of memory cells whose retention times fail to pass the tests.

Abstract: The integrity of transmitted data can be protected by causing that data to be transmitted twice, and calculating protection information (PI) for the data from each transmission. The PI can include information such as a checksum or signature that should have the same value if the data from each transmission is the same. If the PI values are not the same, an error handling procedure can be activated, such as may retry the transmission. For write operations, the data can be transmitted twice from a source to a storage destination, while for read operations, the data can be transmitted to a recipient then sent back from the recipient to the storage device, with PI calculated for each transmission. A component such as a storage processor can perform at least this comparison step. Such approaches can also be used for network transmission or high performance computing.

Abstract: A decoding method of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes based on partial average residual belief propagation includes the following steps: S1: calculating a size of a cluster ? in a protograph based on a code length m and a code rate of a target codeword; S2: pre-computing an edge residual rci?vj corresponding to each edge from a variable node to a check node in a check matrix H; S3: calculating, based on ?, a partial average residual (PAR) value corresponding to each cluster in the check matrix H; S4: sorting m/? clusters in descending order of corresponding PAR values, and updating an edge with a largest edge residual in each cluster; S5: updating edge information mci?vi from a check node ci to a variable node vj, and then updating a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) value L(vj) of the variable node vj; and S6: after the updating, making a decoding decision.

Abstract: A fault handling apparatus and a fault handling method which perform a built-in self-test (BIST) and a repair on a static random-access memory (SRAM) cell, and the fault handling apparatus and the fault handling method store the fault and repair history information of a previous SRAM test, provide the information to a current test, and reflect both BIST results and the information on the previous test, thereby performing multiple repairs until there is no available spare SRAM.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a core logic circuit, one or more integrated clock-gating (ICG) cells, and one or more ICG control cells (ICCs). The core logic circuit generally comprises a plurality of flip-flops. The plurality of flip-flops may be connected to form one or more scan chains. Each of the one or more integrated clock-gating (ICG) cells may be configured to gate a clock signal of a respective one of the one or more scan chains. Each of the one or more ICG control cells may be configured to control a respective one or more of the one or more ICG cells.

Abstract: A system includes a memory device and a processing device coupled to the memory device. The processing device is configured to switch an operating mode of the memory device between a test mode and a non-test mode. The system further includes a test mode access component that is configured to access the memory device while the memory device is in the test mode to perform a test mode operation.

Abstract: An integrated circuit (IC) test engine can generate a plurality of single cycle test patterns that target a plurality of static single cycle defects of a fabricated IC chip based on an IC design. The IC test engine can also fault simulate the plurality of single cycle test patterns against a plurality of multicycle defects in the IC design, wherein a given single cycle test pattern of the plurality of single cycle test patterns is sim-shifted to enable detection of a given multicycle fault and/or defect of the plurality of multicycle faults and/or defects.

Abstract: Systems and methods disclosed include receiving defect data from a test of a semiconductor device comprising a circuit, the circuit comprising a cell, the cell comprising a first input, a second input and an output, and modeling a first plurality of cell defect modes of the cell with a first multiple input transition cell fault model (MTCFM), the cell defect modes associated with a first signal transition on the first input, and a second signal transition on the second input or the output. Systems and method further include correlating the first plurality of cell defect modes to the defect data to produce a probability of each of the first plurality of cell defect modes matching the defect data, and providing, to a user, an indication of each of at least one of the first plurality of cell defect modes having the probability exceeding a defect probability threshold.

Abstract: A method of operating a storage system is provided. The storage system includes memory cells and a memory controller, wherein each memory cell is an m-bit multi-level cell (MLC), where m is an integer, and the memory cells are arranged in m pages. The method includes determining initial LLR (log likelihood ratio) values for each of the m pages, comparing bit error rates in the m pages, identifying a programmed state in one of the m pages that has a high bit error rate (BER), and selecting an assist-read threshold voltage of the identified page. The method also includes performing an assist-read operation on the identified page using the assist-read threshold voltage, determining revised LLR values for the identified page based on results from the assist-read operation, and performing soft decoding using the revised LLR values for the identified page and the initial LLR values for other pages.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the sector size and concomitant host metadata size to determine the difference between total size of the data block to be stored, and using the difference for parity data. This allows an increase in parity bits available for smaller sector sizes and/or data with smaller host metadata sizes. Because the amount of space available for additional parity bits is known, data with lower numbers of parity bits may be assigned to higher quality portions a memory array written with longer programming trim times, and/or written to memory dies with good redundant columns, further increasing performance and reliability.

Abstract: Systems and methods of screening memory cells by modulating bitline and/or wordline voltage. In a read operation, the wordline may be overdriven or underdriven as compared to a nominal operating voltage on the wordline. In a write operation, the one or both of the bitline and wordline may be overdriven or underdriven as compared to a nominal operating voltage of each. A built-in self test (BIST) system for screening a memory array has bitline and wordline margin controls to modulate bitline and wordline voltage, respectively, in the memory array.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes an external terminal, an input buffer having an input terminal connected to the external terminal, a voltage generating circuit configured to generate a test voltage supplied to the input terminal, and a control circuit configured to determine whether the input buffer is deteriorated based on the test voltage supplied to the input terminal and an output level of the input buffer responding to the test voltage.

Abstract: Memory devices and methods of operating memory devices in which maintenance operations can be scheduled on an as-needed basis for those memory portions where activity (e.g., operations in excess of a predetermined threshold) warrants a maintenance operation are disclosed. In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a memory including a memory location, and circuitry configured to determine a count corresponding to a number of operations at the memory location, to schedule a maintenance operation for the memory location in response to the count exceeding a first predetermined threshold, and to decrease the count by an amount corresponding to the first predetermined threshold in response to executing the scheduled maintenance operation. The circuitry may be further configured to disallow, in response to determining that the count has reached a maximum permitted value, further operations at the memory location until after the count has been decreased.

Abstract: A method includes instantiating a simulation of an electronic design for a device under test (DUT) in hardware design language responsive to a user selection thereof. A subset of leaf nodes from a plurality of leaf nodes from the electronic design with input/output signaling of more than two values is identified. A hierarchical path for each leaf node of the plurality of leaf nodes of the electronic design for the DUT with respect to a testbench is calculated. A bypass module for the subset of leaf nodes is generated. The bypass module is generated in response to detecting presence of the subset of leaf nodes in the electronic design with input/output signaling of more than two values. The bypass module facilitates communication between the testbench and the subset of leaf nodes. Leaf nodes other than the subset of leaf nodes communicate with the testbench without communicating through the bypass module.

Abstract: A test circuit includes a control circuit and a counting circuit. The control circuit is configured to control a charging operation and a discharging operation on a test node. The counting circuit is configured to generate counting information by performing a counting operation during a unit measurement interval.

Abstract: In general, according to an embodiment, a memory system includes a memory device including a memory cell; and a controller. The controller is configured to: receive first data from the memory cell in a first data reading; receive second data from the memory cell in a second data reading that is different from the first data reading; convert a first value that is based on the first data and the second data, to a second value in accordance with a first relationship; and convert the first value to a third value in accordance with a second relationship that is different from the first relationship.