Texas Instruments Corporation

Nikita Naresh

Prakash Narayanan

Aravinda Acharya

Nitesh Mishra

Jasbir Singh

Rajat Mehrotra

Rakesh Channabasappa Yaraduyathinahalli

Naveen Ambalametil Narayanan

Vaskar Sarkar

Prathyusha Teja Inuganti

Wilson Pradeep

A device including a controller coupled to memory components via a forward data path, and a signature register coupled to the memory components via a backward data path. The controller provides memory address signals and a controller clock signal to the memory components via the forward data path, which includes first circuitry to provide test-enable signals to the memory components that enable the memory components to read stored memory values. The backward data path includes second circuitry to receive from the memory components a set of memory signals and combine them into a combined signal. Each memory signal is associated with a respective one of the memory components and includes at least one stored memory value read from the corresponding memory component. The signature register calculates a test signature based on the combined signal and compares the test signature to an expected signature.

System and method for parallel memory test

A system is provided that includes a memory configured to store test patterns. A first lockstep core and a second lockstep core are configured to receive the same set of test patterns. First scan outputs are generated from the first lockstep core, and second scan outputs are generated from the second lockstep core during a reset of the first lockstep core and the second lockstep core. A comparator can be coupled to the first lockstep core and the second lockstep core and is configured to compare the first scan outputs to the second scan outputs. The first and second lockstep cores can be initialized to a similar state if the first and second scan outputs are the same. The first and second lockstep cores can comprise non-resettable flip flops.

Scan chain self-testing of lockstep cores on reset

An apparatus includes a controller adapted to be coupled to memory components in parallel and configured to provide memory address signals and a controller clock signal to the memory components, a memory enable logic circuit coupled to the controller and adapted to be coupled to the memory components in parallel and configured to provide test-enable signals to the memory components. The test-enable signals enable, with the controller clock signal, the memory components to read locally stored memory values. The apparatus includes a multiplexer adapted to be coupled to the memory components in parallel and configured to receive from the memory components memory signals that include the memory values in respective sequences of the memory clock signals, and a pipeline coupled to the multiplexer and the controller and configured to receive the memory values from the multiplexer and send the memory values to a multiple input signature register of the controller.

An apparatus includes a first group of memory units and a second group of memory units coupled to a first data path and a second data path coupled to a controller, a first delay element on the first data path coupled to the second group of memory units and configured to send, from the controller to the second group of memory units, signals for write and read operations in a sequence of time cycles delayed by a time cycle with respect to the first group of memory units, and a second delay element on the second data path and coupled to the first group of memory units and configured to send, from the first group of memory units to the controller, test result signals delayed by a time cycle, the delayed test result signals having a matching delay to the delayed write and read operations.

System and method for low power memory test

In some examples, a circuit includes a custom control data register (CCDR) circuit having a scan path. The CCDR circuit includes a shift register and an update register. The shift register is configured to receive scan data from a scan data input (CDR_SCAN_IN) on a first clock edge responsive to a scan enable signal (CDR_SCAN_EN) being enabled. The update register is configured to receive data from the shift register on a second clock edge after the first clock edge when the scan enable (CDR_SCAN_EN) is enabled. The update register data is asserted as a scan data output (CDR_SCAN_OUT). The second scan path includes the scan data input, the shift register, the update register, and the scan data output.

Control data registers for scan testing

A system includes a volatile storage device, a read-only memory (ROM), a memory built-in self-test (BIST) controller and a central processing unit (CPU). The CPU, upon occurrence of a reset event, executes a first instruction from the ROM to cause the CPU to copy a plurality of instructions from a range of addresses in the ROM to the volatile storage device. The CPU also executes a second instruction from the ROM to change a program counter. The CPU further executes the plurality of instructions from the volatile storage device using the program counter. The CPU, when executing the plurality of instructions from the volatile storage device, causes the ROM to enter a test mode and the memory BIST controller to be configured to test the ROM.

Testing read-only memory using memory built-in self-test controller

A built-in self-test (BIST) parallel memory test architecture for an integrated circuit, such as a system-on-a-chip (SoC), is disclosed. A BIST controller generates a test data pattern for memories of a common memory type, with this test data pattern forwarded to the memories, with pipeline delay stages inserted in the data path according to the operational speed of the memory in its normal operation. The expected data response of these memories, when read, and corresponding to this test data pattern is delayed for a group of memories by a local delay response generator shared by those memories. For example, the memories in the group of memories may be physically near one another. The local delay response generator delays the expected data response by a delay corresponding to the memory latency of those memories in the group, before applying the expected data response to local comparators associated with the memories in the group.

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Bengaluru, India

Nikita Naresh