Patent · US Expired

Semiconductor memory with a circuit for testing characteristics of flip-flops including selectively applied power supply voltages

US5159571A · kind A · utility

37Cited by
8References
9Claims
0Family size

Assignees

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 9, 1991
Grant dateOct 27, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 9, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C29/36
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A static random access memory (RAM) includes a data set circuit (DSC) coupled to pairs of load elements of memory cells to test the connection between a pair of load elements and a pair of memory nodes of each of the memory cells. The data set circuit responds to predetermined control signals and data to be set to the memory cells and supplies the predetermined voltage corresponding to such data to the pair of load elements. If the pair of load elements and the memory nodes of a memory cell are properly coupled, data of the memory cell will be inverted. Therefore, if the data of a memory cell is not inverted during the test, it can be quickly determined that a disconnection fault exists at that memory cell location.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.