Memory Command Timing Automation via Deselect Duration
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Solution Overview
Problem
In the field of semiconductors, determining the minimum time intervals between various commands for memory operations is complex and labor-intensive, requiring efficient automation to ensure accurate command timing in memory testing.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for determining the minimum time interval between a target command and historical commands, using a deselect command to ensure timing constraints are met, allowing for automated calculation and accurate command sending to memory without manual participation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual determination of time intervals between all command pairs is performed, then timing accuracy can be ensured, but the complexity and time consumption of the testing process increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The testing system automatically determines the time interval between commands by self-calibration. The controller sends calibration commands and automatically measures the time intervals, eliminating the need for manual determination while maintaining high timing accuracy. The system serves itself by autonomously completing what would otherwise require manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calibration by sending calibration commands before actual testing. This preliminary action establishes the timing characteristics of the memory device, allowing subsequent command sequences to be executed with accurate timing without requiring repeated manual measurements.
2Reliability
If the number of time intervals to be determined is increased to cover all command pairs, then timing constraints are more thoroughly satisfied, but the testing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration commands serve multiple functions: they initialize the memory device, establish timing characteristics, and validate command execution. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate testing procedures for each command pair, thereby maintaining comprehensive timing constraint verification while improving overall testing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the calibration process with the timing measurement process. By combining these functions into a single integrated procedure, the system simultaneously achieves thorough timing constraint verification and maintains high testing efficiency, avoiding the need for separate exhaustive testing of all command pairs.
3Productivity
If automated command sending is implemented, then testing efficiency improves, but the difficulty of determining accurate time intervals increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical timing measurement with automated electronic timing measurement. The controller automatically generates and measures time intervals between commands using electronic counters and timestamps, eliminating the difficulty of manual timing measurement while maintaining high precision. This substitution enables both automated command sending and accurate time interval determination.
4Measurement precision
If comprehensive calibration of all commands is performed, then test accuracy is improved, but the time consumption for calibration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs comprehensive calibration once as a preliminary action before actual testing. The timing characteristics determined during this initial calibration are then reused for subsequent testing, avoiding the need to repeat comprehensive calibration for each test sequence. This approach achieves high test accuracy while minimizing time consumption during actual testing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards the time-consuming comprehensive calibration process after the initial calibration is complete and recovers the calibrated timing parameters for reuse. The calibrated timing characteristics are stored and applied to subsequent command sequences, eliminating the need to repeat the lengthy calibration process while maintaining test accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for testing a command are provided. The method includes that: when the test platform exists a target command to be sent to a memory, a duration of a deselect command is determined according to a minimum time interval between a target command and each of historical commands and the time when the each of the historical commands is sent and the present time; the target command is sent to the memory after the deselect command.