US 12,462,892 B2
Dynamic fault clustering method and apparatus
Jong Sun Park, Seoul (KR); Kwan Ho Bae, Seoul (KR); Jin Ho Jeong, Yongin (KR); and Seung Hwan Bang, Seoul (KR)
Assigned to SK hynix Inc., Icheon (KR); and Korea University Research and Business Foundation, Seoul (KR)
Filed by SK hynix Inc., Icheon (KR); and Korea University Research and Business Foundation, Seoul (KR)
Filed on Aug. 30, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/898,992.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2022-0041215 (KR), filed on Apr. 1, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0317198 A1, Oct. 5, 2023
Int. Cl. G11C 29/18 (2006.01); G11C 29/00 (2006.01); G11C 29/44 (2006.01); G11C 29/46 (2006.01)
CPC G11C 29/46 (2013.01) [G11C 29/18 (2013.01); G11C 29/44 (2013.01); G11C 29/4401 (2013.01); G11C 29/785 (2013.01); G11C 29/808 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A dynamic fault clustering method comprising:
(1) initiating a self-test of a memory cell array divided into a plurality of layers;
(2) performing a search for a current fault in the memory cell array;
(3) in response to the search detecting the current fault, performing a check of whether a row address or a column address of the current fault in one layer matches a row address or a column address in a previously detected fault of another layer stored in an address storage device;
(4) determining a layer number to which the current fault belongs when the row address or the column address of the current fault matches the row address or the column address of the previously detected fault;
(5) determining whether to perform a row-must or column-must repair when the row address or the column address of the current fault does not match the row address or the column address of the previously detected fault;
(6) storing information on a row-must or column-must repair flag in a redundancy storage device when it is determined to perform the row-must or column-must repair;
(7) determining whether to cluster the current fault with the previously detected fault in another layer in response to determining not to perform the row-must or column-must repair;
(8) storing corresponding layer information in the address storage device when it is determined that the current fault is to be clustered; and
(9) storing corresponding layer information in the redundancy storage device when it is determined that the current fault is not to be clustered,
wherein when the self-test initiated in step (1) is not completed, steps (2) through (9) are repeated.