DEVICE

• US 20150192641A1
• Filed: 12/31/2014
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kurokawa, Yoshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,594,115 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3172 Optimisation aspects, e.g. using functional pin as test pin, pin multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318371 Methodologies therefor, e.g. algorithms, procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3187 Built-in tests
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2207/00 Indexing scheme relating to arrangements for writing information into, or reading information out from, a digital store
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/00 Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/00 Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof covered by H01L21/00

Abstract

A device that is capable of generating a new test pattern after the design phase and has a small area of a circuit not in use during normal operation includes a first circuit and a second circuit. The second circuit includes a third circuit and fourth circuit. The fourth circuit has a function of storing data for determining the configuration of the third circuit. When a test for the operating state of the first circuit is performed, the second circuit has a function of generating a signal for the test. When the test is not performed, the second circuit has a function of storing data used for processing in the first circuit and a function of comparing a plurality of signals.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a first circuit; and

a second circuit,

wherein the first circuit comprises a first memory,

wherein the first memory is configured to store first data corresponding to a first address of a first instruction of the first circuit,

wherein the second circuit comprises a second memory,

wherein the second memory is configured to store second data to generate a signal for an operation test of the first circuit, and configured to store third data corresponding to a second address of a second instruction of the first circuit, and

wherein the second circuit is configured to compare the third data and fourth data corresponding to a third address of a third instruction of the first circuit after the operation test.

2. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the second circuit is configured to serve as a memory region in a cache memory of the first circuit, and configured to determine whether the third data and the fourth data input from the first circuit match or not.

3. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the second memory comprises a first transistor and a second transistor, and

wherein a first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor.

4. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the second memory comprises a first transistor and a second transistor,

wherein a first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor, and

wherein the first transistor comprises a channel formation region comprising an oxide semiconductor.

5. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the second memory comprises a first transistor and a second transistor,

wherein a first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor,

wherein the first transistor comprises a channel formation region comprising an oxide semiconductor, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises In, Ga, and Zn.

6. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the second circuit is configured to serve as a memory region in a cache memory of the first circuit, and configured to determine whether the third data and the fourth data input from the first circuit match or not,

wherein the second memory comprises a first transistor and a second transistor,

wherein a first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor, and

wherein the first transistor comprises a channel formation region comprising an oxide semiconductor.

7. A device comprising:

a first circuit; and

a second circuit,

wherein the first circuit comprises a first memory,

wherein the first memory is configured to store first data corresponding to a first address of a first instruction of the first circuit,

wherein the second circuit comprises a second memory and a third memory,

wherein the second memory is configured to store second data to generate a signal for an operation test of the first circuit, and configured to store third data corresponding to a second address of a second instruction of the first circuit after the operation test,

wherein the third memory is configured to store fourth data to generate the signal for the operation test of the first circuit, and configured to store inverted data of the third data after the operation test, and

wherein the second circuit is configured to compare the third data and fifth data corresponding to a third address of a third instruction of the first circuit after the operation test.

8. The device according to claim 7,

wherein the second circuit comprises a fourth memory, and

wherein the fourth memory is configured to store sixth data to generate the signal for the operation test of the first circuit, and configured to store seventh data corresponding to the second instruction of the first circuit after the operation test.

9. The device according to claim 7,

wherein the second circuit is configured to serve as a memory region in a cache memory of the first circuit, and configured to determine whether the third data and the fourth data input from the first circuit match or not.

10. The device according to claim 7,

wherein the second memory comprises a first transistor and a second transistor, and

wherein a first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor.

11. The device according to claim 7,

wherein the second memory comprises a first transistor and a second transistor,

wherein a first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor, and

wherein the first transistor comprises a channel formation region comprising an oxide semiconductor.

12. The device according to claim 7,

wherein the second memory comprises a first transistor and a second transistor,

wherein a first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor,

wherein the first transistor comprises a channel formation region comprising an oxide semiconductor, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises In, Ga, and Zn.

13. The device according to claim 7,

wherein the second circuit is configured to serve as a memory region in a cache memory of the first circuit, and configured to determine whether the third data and the fourth data input from the first circuit match or not,

wherein the second memory comprises a first transistor and a second transistor,

wherein a first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor, and

wherein the first transistor comprises a channel formation region comprising an oxide semiconductor.

14. A device comprising:

a processor; and

a programmable device,

wherein the processor comprises a cache memory,

wherein the cache memory is configured to store data corresponding to an address of a first instruction of the processor,

wherein the programmable device comprises a first configuration memory,

wherein the first configuration memory is configured to store first configuration data to generate a signal for an operation test of the processor, and configured to store data corresponding to an address of a second instruction of the processor, and

wherein the programmable device is configured to compare the address of the second instruction of the processor and an address of a third instruction of the processor after the operation test.

15. The device according to claim 14,

wherein the programmable device comprises a second configuration memory, and

wherein the second configuration memory is configured to store second configuration data to generate the signal for the operation test of the processor, and configured to store inverted data of the data corresponding to the address of the second instruction of the processor after the operation test.

16. The device according to claim 15,

wherein the programmable device comprises a third configuration memory, and

wherein the third configuration memory is configured to store third configuration data to generate the signal for the operation test of the processor, and configured to store data corresponding to the second instruction of the processor after the operation test.

17. The device according to claim 16,

wherein at least one of the first configuration memory, the second configuration memory, and the third configuration memory comprises a first transistor and a second transistor, and

wherein a first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor.

18. The device according to claim 16,

wherein at least one of the first configuration memory, the second configuration memory, and the third configuration memory comprises a first transistor and a second transistor,

wherein a first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor, and

wherein the first transistor comprises a channel formation region comprising an oxide semiconductor.

19. The device according to claim 16,

wherein at least one of the first configuration memory, the second configuration memory, and the third configuration memory comprises a first transistor and a second transistor,

wherein a first terminal of the first transistor is electrically connected to a gate of the second transistor,

wherein the first transistor comprises a channel formation region comprising an oxide semiconductor, and

wherein the oxide semiconductor comprises In, Ga, and Zn.

20. The device according to claim 16,

wherein the programmable device is configured to determine whether the address of the second instruction of the processor and the address of the third instruction of the processor match or not after the operation test.