Patent US5388104A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5388104A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Semiconductor integrated circuit capable of testing memory blocks
Assignee: Toshiba Corp
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Filing: 1991-12-26
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Granted: 1995-02-07
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Expires: 2011-12-26
Abstract
Abstract A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a plurality of writable/readable memory blocks with different address spaces and an address decoder for selecting addresses of the memory blocks. The multiple memory blocks are permitted to share a part of addresses of the memory blocks in a test mode. The writing operation of one of the memory blocks that does not have the largest address space is disabled during a period in which address signals for commonly performing an address scan of individual memory blocks exceeds the address width of that memory block. It is therefore possible to permit a plurality of memory blocks with different address spaces mounted on the same chip to be tested with high precision and without additional burden on the generation of test vectors or on a BIST (built-in self test) test circuit.
Inventors
- 👤 Tsukasa Shirotori
- 👤 Kazutaka Nogami
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 12:25
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11C; G11C29/00; G11C29/04; G11C29/08; G11C29/12; G11C29/18; G11C29/26; G11C29/28; G11C29/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
104 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: a plurality of writable/readable memory blocks having different address spaces mounted on a same chip; means for performing address scanning on said writable/readable memory blocks simultaneously in a test mode based on at least one of the memory blocks having the largest address space from said memory blocks; and control means, coupled to the writable/readable the memory blocks, for disabling write operations in other memory blocks having a smaller address space than said at least one memory block having the largest address space during a period of the address scanning that exceeds address widths of said other memory blocks.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
104 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: a plurality of writable/readable memory blocks having different address spaces mounted on a same chip; means for performing address scanning on said writable/readable memory blocks simultaneously in a test mode based on at least one of the memory blocks having the largest address space from said memory blocks; and control means, coupled to the writable/readable the memory blocks, for disabling write operations in other memory blocks having a smaller address space than said at least one memory block having the largest address space during a period of the address scanning that exceeds address widths of said other memory blocks.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
154 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: a writable/readable first memory block having a first address space mounted on a chip; at least one writable/readable second memory block, mounted on the same chip as said first memory block and having an address space smaller than said first address space, said second memory block and said first memory block sharing address portions in a normal operation mode; means for supplying address scan signals to simultaneously and commonly scan addresses of said first and second memory blocks in a test mode; an address decoder, coupled to the first and second memory blocks, for selecting the addresses of said first and second memory blocks based on said address scan signals; and a control circuit, coupled to the second memory block, for disabling write operations on said second memory block in said test mode at times when said address scan signals exceed said address space of said second memory block.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
154 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: a writable/readable first memory block having a first address space mounted on a chip; at least one writable/readable second memory block, mounted on the same chip as said first memory block and having an address space smaller than said first address space, said second memory block and said first memory block sharing address portions in a normal operation mode; means for supplying address scan signals to simultaneously and commonly scan addresses of said first and second memory blocks in a test mode; an address decoder, coupled to the first and second memory blocks, for selecting the addresses of said first and second memory blocks based on said address scan signals; and a control circuit, coupled to the second memory block, for disabling write operations on said second memory block in said test mode at times when said address scan signals exceed said address space of said second memory block.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 2, wherein said control circuit senses a part of said address scan signals to determine the times when said address scan signals exceeds said address space of said second memory block to disable the write operations on the second memory block.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 2, further comprising a logic circuit, mounted on the same chip, for supplying said address scan signals.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 2, wherein said first and second memory blocks are a cache memory.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
212 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: a writable/readable first memory block having a first address space mounted on a chip; at least one writable/readable second memory block, mounted on the same chip as said first memory block and having an address space smaller than said first address space, said second memory block and-said first memory block not sharing same addresses in a normal operation mode; a logic circuit, mounted on the same chip as said first memory block, for supplying address signals to simultaneously and commonly scan addresses of said first and second memory blocks in a test mode; an address selector, coupled to the logic circuit, for selecting a part of the address signals to perform the address scan of said first memory block and generating the address signals of said second memory block in the test mode; an address decoder, coupled to the address selectors, for selecting the addresses of said first and second memory blocks based on said address signals from said logic circuit and said address selector; and a control circuit, coupled to the logic circuit, for disabling write operations on said second memory block in said test mode at times when said address signals of said first memory block exceeds said address space of said second memory block.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
212 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: a writable/readable first memory block having a first address space mounted on a chip; at least one writable/readable second memory block, mounted on the same chip as said first memory block and having an address space smaller than said first address space, said second memory block and-said first memory block not sharing same addresses in a normal operation mode; a logic circuit, mounted on the same chip as said first memory block, for supplying address signals to simultaneously and commonly scan addresses of said first and second memory blocks in a test mode; an address selector, coupled to the logic circuit, for selecting a part of the address signals to perform the address scan of said first memory block and generating the address signals of said second memory block in the test mode; an address decoder, coupled to the address selectors, for selecting the addresses of said first and second memory blocks based on said address signals from said logic circuit and said address selector; and a control circuit, coupled to the logic circuit, for disabling write operations on said second memory block in said test mode at times when said address signals of said first memory block exceeds said address space of said second memory block.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
46 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 6, wherein said control circuit senses a part of said address signals to determine the times when said address signals exceeds said address space of said second memory block to disable the write operations on the second memory block.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
203 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: a writable/readable first memory block having a first address space mounted on a chip; at least one writable/readable second memory block, mounted on the same chip as said first memory block and having an address space smaller than said first address space, said second memory block and said first memory block not sharing same addresses in a normal operation mode; a self-testing address generator, mounted on the same chip as said first memory block, for supplying address signals to simultaneously and commonly scan addresses of said first and second memory blocks in a test mode; an address selector, coupled to the self-testing address generator, for selecting said address signals to generate address signals of each of said memory blocks in the test mode; an address decoder, coupled to the address selectors, for selecting the addresses of said first and second memory blocks based on said address signals from said address selector; and a control circuit, coupled to the second memory block, for disabling write operations on said second memory block in said test mode at times when said address signals, for commonly performing address scan of said memory blocks, exceeds said address space of said second memory block.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
203 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: a writable/readable first memory block having a first address space mounted on a chip; at least one writable/readable second memory block, mounted on the same chip as said first memory block and having an address space smaller than said first address space, said second memory block and said first memory block not sharing same addresses in a normal operation mode; a self-testing address generator, mounted on the same chip as said first memory block, for supplying address signals to simultaneously and commonly scan addresses of said first and second memory blocks in a test mode; an address selector, coupled to the self-testing address generator, for selecting said address signals to generate address signals of each of said memory blocks in the test mode; an address decoder, coupled to the address selectors, for selecting the addresses of said first and second memory blocks based on said address signals from said address selector; and a control circuit, coupled to the second memory block, for disabling write operations on said second memory block in said test mode at times when said address signals, for commonly performing address scan of said memory blocks, exceeds said address space of said second memory block.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
46 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit according to claim 8, wherein said control circuit senses a part of said address signals to determine the times when said address signals exceed said address space of said second memory block to disable the write operations on the second memory block.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
95 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: at least two memory blocks having different address spaces mounted on a same chip; means for performing address scanning on said at least two memory blocks, including a first memory block and a second memory block, simultaneously in a test mode corresponding to the first memory block, the first memory block having a larger address space than the second memory block; and control means, coupled to the second memory block, for disabling the second memory block during an address scan period exceeding the address space of the second memory block.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
95 words
A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising: at least two memory blocks having different address spaces mounted on a same chip; means for performing address scanning on said at least two memory blocks, including a first memory block and a second memory block, simultaneously in a test mode corresponding to the first memory block, the first memory block having a larger address space than the second memory block; and control means, coupled to the second memory block, for disabling the second memory block during an address scan period exceeding the address space of the second memory block.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-02-06 | 1998-08-08 | 1999-02-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-02-06 | 2002-08-08 | 2003-02-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-02-06 | 2006-08-08 | 2007-02-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |