A New Test Methodology for Word-Oriented Memories

With growing of memory capacity, to detect memory faults is more and more difficult, and its cost increases rapidly. Since these faults seriously decrease the yield rate of memories, it is necessary to find an effective test algorithm for memory to improve the chip yield rate. In these days, as word-oriented memories are broadly used, testing for word-oriented memory becomes more important. In this paper, a new word-oriented memory test methodology is proposed. Using small circuitry as switches, the new test methodology can apply bit-oriented memory test algorithm to word-oriented memory. In addition, the proposed methodology can detect faults effectively without increasing of test sequences.