Integrated circuit defect detection and repair

US9922725B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Intel Corporation · US

Inventors

• Bruce Querbach · Hillsboro, US
• William K. Lui · Portland, US
• David G. Ellis · Tualatin, US
• David J. Zimmerman · Cameron Park, US
• Theodore Z. Schoenborn · Portland, US
• Christopher W. Hampson · Hillsboro, US
• Ifar Wan · Hillsboro, US
• Yulan Zhang · Chizhou City, CN

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 2, 2016
• Grant date: Mar 20, 2018
• Expiry date: Dec 2, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G11C2029/4402
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

In accordance with the present description, a device includes an internal defect detection and repair circuit which includes a self-test logic circuit built in within the device and a self-repair logic circuit also built in within the device. In one embodiment, the built in self-test logic circuit may be configured to automatically identify defective memory cells in a memory. Upon identifying one or more defective memory cells, the built in self-repair logic circuit may be configured to automatically repair the defective memory cells by replacing defective cells with spare cells within the memory. In one embodiment, data patterns are generated as a function of memory addresses and periodic address offsets.