Abstract: An integrated circuit device may include core circuitry, and a set of external interface buffer circuits coupled to the core circuitry. To improve test time and accuracy, as well as to simplify test procedures during voltage testing of the set of external interface buffer circuits, the integrated circuit device may include a test circuit and a combinational logic circuit coupled to the set of external interface buffer circuits. The combinational logic circuit is configured to combine a logic level of each of the external interface buffer circuits into a test signal, and the test circuit is configured to execute a voltage test on the set of external interface buffer circuits based on a logic level of the test signal.

Abstract: A memory apparatus and method of operation is provided. The apparatus has blocks each including non-volatile storage elements. Each of the non-volatile storage elements stores a threshold voltage representative of an element data. The apparatus also includes one or more managing circuits configured to erase at least one of the blocks in an erase operation and program the element data in a program operation. The one or more managing circuits are also configured to proactively identify ones of the blocks as potential bad blocks and selectively apply stress to the ones of the blocks identified as the potential bad blocks and determine whether the potential bad blocks should be retired from the erase and program operations and put in a grown bad block pool or released to a normal block pool used for the erase and program operations based on a judgment after selectively applying the stress.

Abstract: First and second data are identified, such that the second data is based on a modification operation performed on the first data. First error-checking data comprising a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) value of the first data is identified. Incremental error-checking data is generated based on a difference between the first data and the second data. Updated first error-checking data is generated based on a combination of the first error-checking data and the incremental error-checking data. The updated first error-checking data is compared to second error-checking data generated from a CRC value of the second data to determine whether the second data contains an error.

Abstract: A method includes: retrieving a first word comprising a plurality of data bits and a plurality of parity bits that correspond to the first word, wherein the plurality of data bits form N?1 groups and the plurality of parity bits form a first group different from the N?1 groups, and N is a positive integer greater than 2; receiving a request to update respective data bits of a first one of the N?1 groups; and providing a second word comprising updated data bits that form a second one of the N?1 groups and a plurality of updated parity bits that correspond to the second word, wherein the plurality of updated parity bits form a second group that has a same group index as the first one of the N?1 groups.

Abstract: A method for operating a memory includes determining to perform an error correction operation; determining whether to perform an error correction operation; generating an internal address when the error correction operation is performed; reading data from memory cells that are selected based on the internal address and an error correction code corresponding to the data; performing an error correction operation on the data based on the error correction code to produce an error-corrected data; writing the error-corrected data and an error correction code corresponding to the error-corrected data into the memory cells; determining one or more regions among regions in the memory as a repair-requiring region based on an error detected when the error correction operation is performed; receiving a first command; backing up the data and the error correction code into a redundant region in response to the first command; and repairing the repair-requiring region with the redundant region.

Abstract: A memory device can dynamically select a voltage step size for programming (i.e., charging) memory cells. The memory device can increase the voltage step size to reduce programming time or decrease the voltage step size to reduce errors. The memory device can identify device conditions, such as temperature or amount of use (e.g., a count of program/erase cycles). The memory device can increase the voltage step size when the device conditions are less likely to cause errors (e.g., in a middle temperature range or below a threshold number of program/erase cycles) or can decrease the voltage step size when the device conditions are more likely to cause errors (e.g., in a high or low temperature range or above a threshold number of program/erase cycles).

Abstract: The present disclosure describes using the JTAG Tap's TMS and/or TCK terminals as general purpose serial Input/Output (I/O) Manchester coded communication terminals. The Tap's TMS and/or TCK terminal can be used as a serial I/O communication channel between; (1) an IC and an external controller, (2) between a first and second IC, or (3) between a first and second core circuit within an IC. The use of the TMS and/or TCK terminal as serial I/O channels, as described, does not effect the standardized operation of the JTAG Tap, since the TMS and/or TCK I/O operations occur while the Tap is placed in a non-active steady state.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an error correction component coupled to read recovery control circuitry. The error correction component can be configured to perform one or more initial error correction operations on codewords contained within a managed unit received thereto. The read recovery control circuitry can be configured to receive the error corrected codewords from the error correction component and determine whether codewords among the error corrected codewords contain an uncorrectable error. The read recovery control circuitry can be further configured to determine that a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) codeword included in the plurality of error corrected codewords contains the uncorrectable error, request that codewords among the error corrected codewords that contain the uncorrectable error are rewritten in response to the determination, and cause the plurality of error corrected codewords to be transferred to a host coupleable to the read recovery control circuitry.

Abstract: The present invention provides a chip test method, apparatus, device, and system. The chip test system may include: a test equipment, including n chip selection signal lines, m sets of first signal lines, and m*n sets of second signal lines; and m*n chip test sites, wherein each chip test site may be coupled to one of the n chip selection signal lines and one of the m sets of first signal lines, each of the m*n chip test sites may correspond to a unique combination of a chip selection signal line and a first signal line coupled thereto, and each chip test site may be correspondingly coupled to one of the m*n sets of second signal lines. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the limited pins of a test equipment may be used to implement individual control of multiple chips.

Abstract: Methods and systems for decoding raw data may select a preliminary read-level voltage from a sequence of read-level voltages based on a decoding success indicator and execute a preliminary hard decoding operation to decode raw data read from a plurality of memory cells using the preliminary read-level voltage. If the preliminary hard decoding operation is successful, the decoded data from the hard decoding operation is returned. If the preliminary hard decoding operation is unsuccessful, a multi-stage decoding operation may be executed to decode raw data read from the plurality of memory cells using the sequence of read-level voltages, and returning decoded data from the multi-stage decoding operation upon completion of the multi-stage decoding operation. The decoding success indicator is maintained based on results of the preliminary hard decoding operation or the multi-stage decoding operation.

Abstract: A multi-channel timing calibration device and a method applicable thereto are provided. The device includes: a plurality of channel inputs, at least one relay switch, at least one comparator, at least one first multiplexer, and a time measurement chip. The at least one comparator is connected to the at least one relay switch, and connected to a reference voltage or a digital analog converter. The at least one first multiplexer has different signals for different channel groups and outputs a signal of a designated channel. The time measurement chip calculates a timing difference of each of the channels of each of the channel inputs as a basis for delay of the timing signals.

Abstract: A control system, that includes a primary controller and various auxiliary controllers, is configured to facilitate a built-in self-test (BIST) of a system-on-chip (SoC). The primary controller is configured to initiate a BIST sequence associated with the SoC. Based on the BIST sequence initiation, each auxiliary controller is configured to schedule execution of various self-test operations on various functional circuits, various memories, and various logic circuits of the SoC by various functional BIST controllers, various memory BIST controllers, and various logic BIST controllers of the SoC, respectively. Based on the execution of the self-test operations, each auxiliary controller further generates various status bits with each status bit indicating whether at least one functional circuit, at least one memory, or at least one logic circuit is faulty. Based on the status bits generated by each auxiliary controller, a fault diagnosis of the SoC is initiated.

Abstract: A method for detecting and isolating defective memory plane(s) of a non-volatile memory structure during a program verify operation, comprising: initiating, for each plane, a word line verify voltage level scan with a bit scan pass fail criterion and at a starting voltage located within an intended program threshold voltage distribution curve, incrementally decreasing the word line verify voltage by a predetermined offset until a specific condition of the scan is obtained, and storing the voltage at which the specific condition of the scan is obtained, wherein the stored voltage represents a voltage of an upper tail portion of an actual programmed threshold voltage distribution curve of the plane. The stored voltages of all of the memory planes of the structure are compared to determine which plane corresponds to the lowest stored voltage. A “fail” status is applied to the plane corresponding to the lowest stored voltage.

Abstract: Embodiments provide a scheme for parametric PV-level modeling and an optimal read threshold voltage estimation in a memory system. A controller performs read operations on cells using read threshold voltages; generates CMF samples based on the read operations; and receives first and second CDF values, which correspond to CMF samples, each CDF value representing a skew normal distribution. The controller estimates first and second probability distribution parameter sets corresponding to the first and second CDF values, respectively; determines first and second PDF values using the first and second probability distribution parameter sets, respectively; and estimates, as an optimal read threshold voltage, a read threshold voltage corresponding to a cross-point of the first and second PDF values.

Abstract: Embodiment techniques map parity bits to sub-channels based on their row weights. In one example, an embodiment technique includes polar encoding, with an encoder of the device, information bits and at least one parity bit using the polar code to obtain encoded data, and transmitting the encoded data to another device. The polar code comprises a plurality of sub-channels. The at least one parity bit being placed in at least one of the plurality of sub-channels. The at least one sub-channel is selected from the plurality of sub-channels based on a weight parameter.

Abstract: A setup time and hold time detection system including a monitoring unit and a processing unit. The monitoring unit is configured to detect multiple setup times and multiple hold times of multiple test circuits through a source clock signal. The processing unit is configured to record multiple setup times and multiple hold times as multiple detection data. The processing unit is further configured to select a first part of the detection data as multiple first detection data to establish an estimation model. The processing unit is further configured to select a second part of the detection data as multiple second detection data, and compare the second detection data and multiple estimation results generated by the estimation model to obtain an error value of the estimation model.

Abstract: Memory devices are disclosed. A memory device may include a number of column planes, and at least one circuit. The at least one circuit may be configured to receive test result data for a column address for each column plane of the number of column planes of the memory array. The at least one circuit may also be configured to convert the test result data to a first result responsive to only one bit of a number of bits of the number of column planes failing a test for the column address. Further, the at least one circuit may be configured to convert the test result data to a second result responsive to only one column plane failing the test for the column address and more than one bit of the one column plane being defective. Methods of testing a memory device, and electronic systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: A semiconductor memory device included in each of a plurality of chips which are divided by a scribe lane and formed on an upper surface of a wafer, includes a memory core and a built-in self test (BIST) circuit. The memory core includes a memory cell array that stores data and a data input/output circuit connected to a data input/output pad. The BIST circuit is connected to a test pad that is separate from the data input/output pad. The BIST circuit generates test pattern data including first parallel bits based on commands and addresses received from an external automatic test equipment (ATE) during a wafer level test process performed on the semiconductor memory device. The BIST circuit tests the memory core by applying the test pattern data to the memory cell array through the data input/output circuit.

Abstract: A bit interleaving method involves applying a bit permutation process to a QC-LDPC codeword made up of N cyclic blocks each including Q bits, and dividing the codeword after the permutation process into a plurality of constellation words each including M bits, the codeword being divided into F×N/M folding sections, each of the constellation words being associated with one of the F×N/M folding sections, and the bit permutation process being applied such that each of the constellation words includes F bits from each of M/F different cyclic blocks in a given folding section associated with a given constellation word.

Abstract: A variety of applications can include apparatus and/or methods that provide parity protection to data spread over multiple memory devices of a memory system. Parity is stored in a buffer, where the parity is generated from portions of data written to a page having a different portion of the page in a portion of each plane of one or more planes of the multiple memory devices. Parity is stored in the buffer for each page. In response to a determination that a transfer criterion is satisfied, the parity data in the buffer is transferred from the buffer to a temporary block. After programming data into the block to close the block, a verification of the block with respect to data errors is conducted. In response to passing the verification, the temporary block can be released for use in a next data write operation. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.