Patent · US Expired

Reliability test method and circuit for non-volatile memory

US6512710B1 · kind B1 · utility

0Cited by
2References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 4, 2001
Grant dateJan 28, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 4, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C16/04
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A reliability test method for a non-volatile memory. A relation curve of gate voltage versus read current degradation rate is obtained. The read current degradation rate of an actual gate voltage is estimated. From the relation curve, an accelerated test gate voltage and a test time corresponding to the actual gate voltage are obtained. With the accelerated test gate voltage, the test is continuously performed within the test time. Afterward, a test result of the memory is then obtained and, by the result, it is judged whether the data is valid or not. If the data is right (retained), the memory can be guarantied to have an expected lifetime; if the data is wrong (lost), the memory is judged as fails to pass the lifetime test.

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