Apple Inc.

Preminder Singh

Sung Wook Kang

Date Jan Willem Noorlag

A built-in self test (BIST) may be performed on a device memory having two memory portions that are symmetrical (e.g., two symmetric halves of the device memory). The BIST may be run on the first memory portion. Error logic output from the first memory portion is captured (stored) in the second memory portion during the BIST run process. Error logic output from the first memory portion may include error data and an address of the memory error in the first memory portion. As the first and second memory portions are symmetric, the memory errors captured (stored) in the second memory portion are located at identical locations to the location of the memory errors in the first memory portion. A memory dump from the second memory portion after the BIST may provide a map of the memory errors in the first memory portion.

Memory error capture logic

A device includes an integrated circuit programmed with an operating surface equation. The operating surface equation may define an operating point as a function of operating voltage, operating frequency, leakage current, and one or more additional operating factors. The additional operating factors may be, for example, an operating temperature of the integrated circuit, a number of active execution units in the integrated circuit, and/or an age of the integrated circuit. The operating surface equation may be adjusted based on changes in one or more of the additional operating factors. Changes in the operating surface equation may change the operating surface of the integrated circuit. Thus, operating points (e.g., operating voltage) of the integrated circuit may be adjusted in response to changes in the additional operating factors.

Dynamic operating surface for integrated circuits

A binning process uses curve fitting to create and assign one or more bins based on testing data of operating voltage versus leakage current for test integrated circuits. Each bin is created by assigning an initial operating voltage to the bin and fitting a curve to the testing data population. An equation is generated describing the fitted curve. Integrated circuits are binned by measuring the leakage current at a selected operating voltage and testing the integrated circuit at one or more operating voltages determined based on the fitted curves. The integrated circuits are assigned a maximum operating voltage that corresponds to the lowest tested operating voltage at which the integrated circuit passes the test.

Continuous voltage product binning

A device includes an integrated circuit programmed with an operating surface equation. The operating surface equation may define an operating point as a function of operating voltage, operating frequency, and leakage current. The operating surface equation may be generated by fitting a surface equation to data for operating voltage and operating frequency versus leakage current for a plurality of test integrated circuits. An operating voltage of the integrated circuit at a given operating frequency may be determined by the operating surface equation and a leakage current value fused into the device.

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Belmont, CA, United States of America

Preminder Singh