Fail address detector, semiconductor memory device including the same and method of detecting fail address

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9208879-B2
Application number	US-201213717139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2012
Priority date	Jul 26, 2012
Publication date	Dec 8, 2015
Grant date	Dec 8, 2015

Abstract

A fail address detector includes cam latch groups configured to store fail addresses and a comparing section connected to the cam latch groups in common and configured to detect whether or not a fail address corresponding to a comparison address exists among the fail addresses received from the cam latch groups. The cam latch groups share the comparing section in time division.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fail address detector, comprising:
cam latch groups configured to store fail addresses, respectively, wherein each of the fail addresses indicates a defect area; and
a comparing section connected to the cam latch groups in common and configured to detect whether or not a fail address corresponding to a comparison address exists among the fail addresses received from the cam latch groups,
wherein the cam latch groups are configured to share the comparing section in time division by sequentially transmitting the fail addresses to the comparing section,
wherein the cam latch groups are configured to receive cam enable signals, respectively, the cam enable signals being activated sequentially, and
wherein the cam latch groups are configured to sequentially transmit the fail addresses to the comparing section in response to the cam enable signals, respectively.

2. The fail address detector of claim 1 , further comprising:
a repair address provision section connected to the comparing section and configured to provide a repair address when the fail address corresponding to the comparison address exists.

3. The fail address detector of claim 1 , wherein each of the cam latch groups is configured to not receive the comparison address.

4. The fail address detector of claim 1 , wherein the comparing section includes:
a logic operation block configured to detect whether or not data bits of the comparison address are identical to corresponding data bits of the fail address received from each of the cam latch groups; and
a detection block configured to output a detection signal according to a detecting result of the logic operation block.

5. The fail address detector of claim 4 , further comprising:
a repair address provision section connected to the comparing section and configured to generate repair addresses in sequence in response to a clock signal, and to provide an address enable signal according to the detection signal.

6. The fail address detector of claim 5 , wherein the fail address detector is configured to determine, among the repair addresses generated in sequence, a repair address corresponding to the comparison address according to the address enable signal.

7. The fail address detector of claim 1 , wherein each of the cam latch groups includes latch circuits for storing data bits of the corresponding fail address.

8. The fail address detector of claim 7 , wherein each of the latch circuits includes:
a latch;
a first transistor and a second transistor connected serially between a first node of the latch and a reference node; and
a third transistor connected between a second node of the latch and an output node, and
wherein the first transistor is configured to be turned on in response to a read control signal, the second transistor is configured to be turned on or off in response to one of the data bits of the corresponding fail address, and the third transistor is configured to be turned on in response to the corresponding cam enable signal.

9. A method of detecting fail address, the method comprising:
loading fail addresses to cam latch groups, respectively, wherein each of the fail addresses indicates a defect area;
providing the fail addresses in sequence to a comparing section connected in common to the cam latch groups, in response to sequentially activated cam enable signals, respectively; and
sequentially comparing the fail addresses provided from the cam latch groups to the comparing section with a comparison address to detect whether or not a fail address corresponding to the comparison address exists among the fail addresses.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
providing a repair address when the fail address corresponding to the comparison address exists.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
outputting a detection signal when the fail address corresponding to the comparison address exists.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
sequentially generating repair addresses in response to a clock signal; and
generating an address enable signal in response to the detection signal.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
determining, among the sequentially generated repair addresses, a repair address corresponding to the comparison address according to the address enable signal.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein, in said determining, the repair address generated at a time of activation of the address enable signal is determined as the repair address corresponding to the comparison address.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
sequentially generating repair addresses in response to a clock signal;
determining, among the sequentially generated repair addresses, a repair address generated at a time of activation of the detection signal as a repair address corresponding to the comparison address; and
accessing an area of a memory cell array in accordance with the repair address corresponding to the comparison address.

16. A semiconductor memory device, comprising:
a memory cell array;
a peripheral circuit configured to drive the memory cell array; and
a control logic configured to control the peripheral circuit,
wherein the control logic includes:
cam latch groups configured to store fail addresses loaded from the memory cell array, respectively, wherein each of the fail addresses indicates a defect area of the memory cell array; and
a comparing section which is connected to the cam latch groups in common to be shared in time division by the cam latch groups, and which is configured to detect whether or not a fail address corresponding a comparison address exists among the fail addresses received from the cam latch groups,
wherein the cam latch groups are configured to receive cam enable signals, respectively, the cam enable signals being activated sequentially, and
wherein the cam latch groups are configured to sequentially transmit the fail addresses to the comparing section in response to the cam enable signals, respectively.

17. The semiconductor memory device of claim 16 , wherein the control logic further includes a repair address provision section connected to the comparing section and configured to provide a repair address when the fail address corresponding to the comparison address exists.

18. The semiconductor memory device of claim 17 , wherein the control logic is configured to provide the repair address to the peripheral circuit instead of the comparison address.

19. The semiconductor memory device of claim 18 , wherein the peripheral circuit is configured to access an area of the memory cell array corresponding to the repair address.

Assignees

• Lim Sang Oh
• Sk Hynix Inc

Inventors

• Lim Sang Oh

Classifications

• G11C29/789

  using non-volatile cells or latches · CPC title

• G11C2029/4402

  Internal storage of test result, quality data, chip identification, repair information · CPC title

• G11C15/00

  Digital stores in which information comprising one or more characteristic parts is written into the store and in which information is read-out by searching for one or more of these characteristic parts, i.e. associative or content-addressed stores · CPC title

• G11C15/04 Primary

  using semiconductor elements · CPC title

• G11C29/04

  Detection or location of defective memory elements {, e.g. cell constructio details, timing of test signals} · CPC title