Patent · US Expired

Manufacturing test for a fault tolerant magnetoresistive solid-state storage device

US7149948B2 · kind B2 · utility

7Cited by
40References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 28, 2001
Grant dateDec 12, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 2, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG11C29/44
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A fault-tolerant magnetoresistive solid-state storage device (MRAM) in use performs error correction coding and decoding of stored information, to tolerate physical defects. At manufacture, the MRAN device is tested to confirm that each set of storage cells is suitable for storing ECC encoded data, using either a parametric evaluation (step 602), or a logical evaluation (step 603) or preferably a combination of both. Failed cells are identified and a count is formed, suitably in terms of ECC symbols 206 that would be affected by such failed cells (step 604). The count can be compared to a threshold (step 605) to determine suitability of the accessed storage cells and a decision made (step 606) on whether to continue with use of those cells, or whether to take remedial action.

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