Memory board with self-testing capability

• US 8,001,434 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2009
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Netlist, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Netlist, Inc.
• Inventors: Choi, Soonju, Lee, Hyun, Bhakta, Jayesh R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chung; Phung M
• Application Number:
  US12/422,925
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 714/718, 714/719, 714/736, 714/819, 714/733, 714/734, 714/30, 365/200, 365/201, 365/230.03, 365/189.011
• US Class Current: 714/733
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/10 Test algorithms, e.g. memory scan [MScan] algorithms; Test patterns, e.g. checkerboard patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/12 Built-in arrangements for testing, e.g. built-in self testing [BIST] or interconnection details
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/04 Supports for storage elements , e.g. memory modules; Mounting or fixing of storage elements on such supports

Abstract

A self-testing memory module includes a printed circuit board configured to be operatively coupled to a memory controller of a computer system and includes a plurality of memory devices on the printed circuit board, each memory device of the plurality of memory devices comprising data, address, and control ports. The memory module also includes a control module configured to generate address and control signals for testing the memory devices. The memory module includes a data module comprising a plurality of data handlers. Each data handler is operable independently from each of the other data handlers of the plurality of data handlers. Each data handler is operatively coupled to a corresponding plurality of the data ports of one or more of the memory devices and is configured to generate data for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports.

Claims

1. A self-testing memory module, comprising:

a printed circuit board configured to be operatively coupled to a memory controller of a computer system;

a plurality of memory devices on the printed circuit board, each memory device of the plurality of memory devices comprising data, address, and control ports; and

a circuit comprising;

a control module configured to generate address and control signals for testing the memory devices; and

a data module comprising a plurality of data handlers, each data handler operable independently from each of the other data handlers of the plurality of data handlers and operatively coupled to a corresponding plurality of the data ports of one or more of the memory devices and configured to generate data for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports, wherein the circuit is configured to test the memory devices using the address and control signals generated by the control module and the data generated by the plurality of data handlers.

2. The self-testing memory module of claim 1, wherein the plurality of data handlers comprise at least two physically separate components mounted on the printed circuit board.

3. The self-testing memory module of claim 2, wherein the plurality of data handlers comprise at least two physically separate integrated circuit packages.

4. The self-testing memory module of claim 3, wherein the physically separate integrated circuit packages are mounted on different portions of the printed circuit board.

5. The self-testing memory module of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of data handlers is positioned on the printed circuit board proximate to the corresponding plurality of data ports.

6. The self-testing memory module of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of data handlers is positioned closer to the corresponding plurality of data ports than to the other data ports of the plurality of memory devices.

7. The self-testing memory module of claim 6, wherein each of the data handlers is further configured to read from the corresponding plurality of data ports and further comprises a verification element for checking for failures in the operation of the memory devices by verifying that data read from the corresponding plurality of data ports corresponds to the data generated by the data handler for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports.

8. The self-testing memory module of claim 7, wherein the verification element is configured to verify that the data read from the corresponding plurality of data ports corresponds to the data generated by the data handler for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports without storing a copy of the data generated by the data handler for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports.

9. The self-testing memory module of claim 7, wherein the verification element calculates comparison data and compares the comparison data to the data read from the corresponding plurality of data ports.

10. The self-testing memory module of claim 9, wherein the data for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports comprises cyclic data.

11. The self-testing memory module of claim 10, wherein the verification element calculates the comparison data based on the cyclic data.

12. The self-testing memory module of claim 10, wherein the verification element calculates the comparison data based on a current read address.

13. The self-testing memory module of claim 7, wherein data associated with failures in the operation of the memory devices is stored in the data module and wherein memory addresses associated with failures in the operation of the memory devices are stored in the control module.

14. The self-testing memory module of claim 1, each of the plurality of data handlers further configured to write data to the memory devices by selectively inputting to the corresponding plurality of data ports either data signals from the system memory controller or data signals from the data handler.

15. The self-testing memory module of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of data handlers comprises a switch which performs the selective inputting to the corresponding plurality of data ports.

16. The self-testing memory module of claim 15, wherein the switch comprises a data multiplexer-demultiplexer.

17. The self-testing memory module of claim 1, the control module further configured to selectively input to the address and control ports of the memory devices either the address and control signals from the memory controller or the address and control signals from the control module.

18. The self-testing memory module of claim 17, wherein the control module further comprises a DRAM controller which performs the selective inputting of the address and control ports.

19. The self-testing memory module of claim 1, wherein the memory module is configured to be operated in a test mode in which the control module selectively inputs to the address and control ports of the memory devices the address and control signals from the control module and wherein each of the data handlers write the data generated by the data handler to the corresponding plurality of data ports by selectively inputting to the data ports of the memory devices data signals from the data handler.

20. A self-testing memory module, comprising:

a printed circuit board configured to be operatively coupled to a memory controller of a computer system;

a plurality of memory devices on the printed circuit board, each memory device of the plurality of memory devices comprising data, address, and control ports; and

a circuit comprising;

a control module configured to generate address and control signals for testing the memory devices; and

a data module comprising at least one data handler operatively coupled to a corresponding plurality of the data ports of one or more of the memory devices and configured to generate cyclic data for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports wherein the circuit is configured to test the memo devices using the address and control signals generated by the control module and the cyclic data generated by the at least one data handler.

21. The self-testing memory module of claim 20, wherein the at least one data handler is further configured to read data from the corresponding plurality of data ports and further comprises a verification element for checking for failures in the operation of the memory devices by verifying that data read from the corresponding plurality of data ports corresponds to the data generated by the data handler for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports.

22. The self-testing memory module of claim 21, wherein the verification element is configured to verify that the data read from the corresponding plurality of data ports corresponds the data generated by the data handler for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports without storing a copy of the data written to the memory devices.

23. The self-testing memory module of claim 22, wherein the verification element calculates comparison data and compares the comparison data to the data read from the corresponding plurality of data ports.

24. The self-testing memory module of claim 23, wherein the verification element calculates the comparison data based on the cyclic data.

25. The self-testing memory module of claim 23, wherein the verification element calculates the comparison data based on a current read address.

26. The self-testing memory module of claim 21, wherein data associated with failures in the operation of the memory devices is stored in the data module and wherein memory addresses associated with failures in the operation of the memory devices are stored in the control module.

27. The self-testing memory module of claim 20, wherein there are at least two data handlers and each of the data handlers is operable independently from each of the other data handlers.

28. The self-testing memory module of claim 20, wherein the at least one data handler is positioned on the printed circuit board proximate to the corresponding plurality of data ports.

29. A method of self-testing a memory module, comprising:

providing a self-testing memory module, the self-testing memory module comprising;

a printed circuit board configured to be operatively coupled to a memory controller of a computer system;

a plurality of memory devices on the printed circuit board, each memory device of the plurality of memory devices comprising data, address, and control ports; and

a circuit comprising;

a control module configured to generate address and control signals for testing the memory devices; and

a data module comprising a plurality of data handlers, each data handler operable independently from each of the other data handlers of the plurality of data handlers and operatively coupled to a corresponding plurality of the data ports; and

generating, by the control module, address and control signals for testing the memory devices;

generating, by each of the data handlers, data for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports; and

using the address and control signals and the generated data to test the memory devices.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

reading, by each of the plurality of data handlers, data from the corresponding plurality of data ports; and

checking for failures in the operation of the memory devices by each of the plurality of data handlers by verifying that data read from the corresponding plurality of data ports corresponds to the generated data for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising verifying that the data read from the corresponding plurality of data ports corresponds to the generated data for writing to the corresponding plurality of data ports without storing a copy of the data written to the corresponding plurality of data ports.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

calculating comparison data; and

comparing the comparison data to the data read from the corresponding plurality of data ports.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the data signals written to the corresponding plurality of data ports comprises cyclic data and calculating comprises calculating the data based on the cyclic data.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the data signals written to the corresponding plurality of data ports comprises cyclic data calculating comprises calculating the data based on a current read address.

35. The method of claim 30, further comprising operating the memory module in a test mode in which the control module selectively inputs to the address and control ports of the memory devices the address and control signals from the control module and wherein each of the data handlers write the generated data to the corresponding plurality of data ports by selectively inputting to the data ports of the memory devices data signals representative of the generated data from the data handler.