Semiconductor Input Terminal Redundancy for Bandwidth Defect Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
As semiconductor memory devices increase in capacity and bandwidth, the likelihood of defective input terminals increases, making it challenging to ensure the absence of defects and necessitating a technology for repairing such defects.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device and method that include redundant input terminals and buffers, along with selectors, which reroute signals from defective input terminals to redundant ones, ensuring continuous operation even when some input terminals are defective.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the number of input terminals is increased to achieve higher bandwidth, then the bandwidth of the semiconductor device is improved, but the likelihood of defective input terminals increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the input terminals by implementing a repair mode that modifies how signals are routed. When a defect is detected in a specific input terminal, the system changes the signal routing parameters to bypass the defective terminal using adjacent terminals and repair logic, thereby maintaining reliability while preserving the high bandwidth capability achieved through multiple input terminals.
2Reliability
If redundant components are added to repair defective input terminals, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements repair logic that can handle multiple types of defects across multiple input terminals using a single unified repair mechanism. The repair logic is designed to be universal, capable of identifying and compensating for defects in any input terminal through standardized repair signals and routing adjustments, rather than requiring separate repair components for each terminal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses adjacent input terminals as substitutes or 'copies' for defective terminals. When a terminal is found to be defective, the system copies the functional role of the defective terminal to adjacent terminals through signal routing modifications, allowing the defective terminal to be bypassed without adding physical redundant components.
3Ease of repair
If traditional repair methods using redundant memory cells are applied to input terminals, then defective cells can be replaced, but input terminal defects cannot be effectively repaired
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional repair approach by not replacing defective input terminals with redundant components, but rather by having redundant input terminals replace the function of defective ones through signal routing. Instead of adding repair components to fix defective terminals, the system reverses the approach by allowing healthy terminals to assume the functionality of defective terminals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces repair logic and signal routing mechanisms as intermediaries between the input terminals and the internal circuitry. These intermediaries detect defective terminals and redirect signals away from them, using adjacent terminals as intermediate pathways to deliver signals to the correct internal destinations despite the presence of defective input terminals.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes: first to Nth input terminals (where N is an integer equal to or greater than 2); and a redundant input terminal. When a Kth input terminal (where K is an integer ranging from 1 to N−1) is defective among the first to Nth input terminals, (K+1)th to Nth input terminals receive signals of Kth to (N−1)th input terminals, respectively, and the redundant input terminal receives a signal of the Nth input terminal.