PROCESSOR-MEMORY UNIT FOR USE IN SYSTEM-IN-PACKAGE AND SYSTEM-IN-MODULE DEVICES

• US 20110202789A1
• Filed: 04/25/2011
• Published: 08/18/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SCA IPLA Holdings Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Inventors: Ong, Adrian E., Baliga, Naresh
• Granted Patent: US 8,195,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/6.11
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2029/5602 Interface to device under test
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/56 External testing equipment for static stores, e.g. automatic test equipment [ATE]; Interfaces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/04 Supports for storage elements , e.g. memory modules; Mounting or fixing of storage elements on such supports

Abstract

An apparatus and method for a processor-memory unit for use in system-in-package (SiP) and system-in-package (SiP) integrated circuit devices. The apparatus includes a processing module, a memory module and a programmable system module. The programmable system module is configured to function as an interface between the memory module and the processing module, or as an interface between the memory module and a testing device. The invention facilitates integration and testing of processor-memory units including functional components having different communication protocols.

Claims

1. A programmable system module, comprising:

a processor interface configured to couple to a processing module; and

a memory interface configured to couple to a memory module;

wherein the programmable system module is programmable to act as an interface between the processing module and the memory module such that the processing module and the memory module may have command and data interfaces with different widths or communicate with each other using different data exchange protocols.

2. The programmable system module of claim 1, wherein the processing module and the memory module are both included in one of a system-in-package (SiP) and a system-in-module (SiM) device.

3. The programmable system module of claim 1, wherein the programmable system module is further configured to allow testing of the memory module and the processing module through the programmable system module.

4. The programmable system module of claim 1, wherein the programmable system module is further configured to couple to external automatic test equipment (ATE).

5. The programmable system module of claim 4, wherein the processing module and the programmable system module include one or more test interfaces that are pin-compatible with a test interface of the ATE.

6. The programmable system module of claim 1, wherein the processor module includes multiple processors coupled to a same bus.

7. The programmable system module of claim 1, wherein the processor module includes multiple logic application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) coupled to a same bus.

8. The programmable system module of claim 1, wherein the programmable system module includes a programmable data or command converter.

9. The programmable system module of claim 8, wherein the programmable data or command converter comprises a programmable data read or write, configuring, and scheduling (DRWCS) module, said DRWCS module configured to couple the processor interface and the memory interface.

10. The programmable system module of claim 8, wherein the memory interface comprises a plurality of memory interface circuits, each of the plurality of memory interface circuits coupled to the DRWCS module and to at least one memory bank of the memory module.

11. The programmable system module of claim 10, wherein each of the memory interface circuits further comprises a delay locked loop (DLL).

12. The programmable system module of claim 8, wherein the programmable system module further comprises a controller including a programmable logic circuit and a bank of redundant memory cells.

13. The programmable system module of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to perform at least one of:

modification of configuration settings of the converter;

modification of configuration settings of the DRWCS module;

replacement of defective memory cells in the memory module with the redundant memory cells; and

testing of portions of the memory module and the processing module.

14. The programmable system module of claim 1, wherein the memory interface is configured to communicate with a memory module which includes a first memory bank and a second memory bank, wherein the first memory bank includes memory cells of a first type and the second memory bank includes memory cells of a second type that is different from the first type.

15. The programmable system module of claim 14, wherein the memory interface is configured to communicate with the first memory bank using a first data exchange protocol, and to communicate with the second memory bank using a second data exchange protocol that is different from the first data exchange protocol.

16. The programmable system module of claim 14, wherein the memory interface is configured to communicate with the first memory bank using a first clock signal having a first frequency, and to communicate with the second memory bank using a second clock signal having a second frequency that is different from the first frequency.

17. The programmable system module of claim 14, wherein a data transfer rate of the processing module is different from a data transfer rate of the first memory bank.

18. The programmable system module of claim 14, wherein widths of data or command interfaces of the processing module are different from widths of data or command interfaces of the first memory bank.

19. The programmable system module of claim 14,

wherein the processor interface is configured to receive a reference clock signal from the processing module;

wherein the programmable system module is configured to route the reference clock signal to the memory interface; and

wherein the memory interface is configured to provide the reference clock signal to the memory module.

20. The programmable system module of claim 14, wherein the processor interface is configured to receive configuration settings from the processing module and to direct the configuration settings to configuration registers in the programmable system module, wherein the configuration settings control operation of the programmable system module.