Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for production testing of self-refresh operations and a particular application to synchronous memory devices

US5450364A · kind A · utility

60Cited by
10References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 31, 1994
Grant dateSep 12, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 31, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C29/02
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and apparatus for testing the self-refresh operation of a dynamic memory part are provided in which an oscillator (140) is coupled to a self-refresh counter (142). The self-refresh counter (142) causes a refresh row address counter (144) to generate row addresses for self-refresh cycles. The refresh row address counter (144) is coupled to a self-refresh control circuit (148). The self-refresh control circuit (148) is operable to generate a signal indicating completion of a self-refresh cycle. The refresh row address counter (144) is also coupled to a multiplexer (146). The multiplexer (146) outputs row addresses from either the refresh row address counter (144) or those supplied externally for rows to be refreshed.

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