HILEVEL Technology, Inc. Q'nApps #L37

Q: How can I test FLASH memories with ETSNT?


Testing 64K x 8 FLASH Memory With ETSNT

 
The Memory Test feature of the ETS is possible because of the tremendous versatility of the HILEVEL proprietarty gate arrays that control the ETS pin electronics. The powerful ETSNT software redefines the functions of these chips so that very deep memory devices can be tested using very few vectors. When using the ETS for Memory Test the software takes control of the vectors and the pattern generator program, so it is important that you not modify these resources manually.

It is very important to plan ahead for Memory Test, particularly when building up your DUT board. This is due to the way in which the pin electronics boards are assigned for specific purposes. PE board #1 (pins 1-32) is used for the memory address pins of your device. ETSNT will control these pins like a counter, sequencing through memory addresses as part of a pattern generator loop. PE board #2 (pins 33-64) will function as the data I/O pins to the memory device under test. PE board #3 (pins 65-96) provide control pin functions for your memory device, such as output enables, chip enables and read/write pins. If you need more than 32 data I/O pins, PE boards 4 and up can be used for that purpose.

You can use the PinList import feature in the Translators window to assign your pins and names, or do it manually from the F2 window. Just be sure to assign pins according to their types as illustrated in the above paragraph, and in accordance with your DUT board wiring. Here are the main steps in preparation. You can also use the ETSNT help for more assistance; just key F1 from the Memory Test window.

After preparing your test in the Memory Test window, the Run Setup window will have automatically selected "MemoryTest" as the sequencing mode. This is set after performing the "Generate" step in Memory Test setup. Run Setup Window
From the memory test dialog box define the tests to be performed and the specific parameters of the device. Select the memory type... Memory type
Then select the memory depth and page size... Selecting memory depth
Select the memory width and the program cycle Write Delay (in cycles/1000). Then select the test algorithms to be Added to the TestSuite... Selecting memory width
Select the memory controls... Selecting memory controls
Select Pins... to generate a list showing Pin Setup information. The file "mempins.txt" (partial example shown to the right with Pin numbers added) is created and opened in NotePad for you. Pin Names and Groups in this list are suggestions only. System Channels, however, are fixed in order to provide automatic algorithmic data generation. The pin numbers (under Pin#) for the device can be entered directly into this list which may then be imported to the Pin Setup dialog box. You can use the "Input PinList" function under Translators to import your own pin list.
    
    ;SysCh  Pin#    Name    Grp     Type
    16       ?      ADR15    1      SMA
    15       ?      ADR14    1      SMA
    14       ?      ADR13    1      SMA
    13       ?      ADR12    1      SMA
    12       ?      ADR11    1      SMA
    11       ?      ADR10    1      SMA
    10       ?      ADR9     1      SMA
    9        ?      ADR8     1      SMA
    8        ?      ADR7     1      SMA
    7        ?      ADR6     1      SMA
    6        ?      ADR5     1      SMA
    5        ?      ADR4     1      SMA
    4        ?      ADR3     1      SMA
    3        ?      ADR2     1      SMA
    2        ?      ADR1     1      SMA
    1        ?      ADR0     1      SMA
    40       ?      DATA7    2      SMD
    39       ?      DATA6    2      SMD
    38       ?      DATA5    2      SMD
    37       ?      DATA4    2      SMD
    36       ?      DATA3    2      SMD
    35       ?      DATA2    2      SMD
    34       ?      DATA1    2      SMD
    33       ?      DATA0    2      SMD
    ; make the following signal R1
    65       ?      /WRITE   3      I
    66       ?      /OE      4      I
    67       ?      /CE      5      I
    
Don't forget to supply DUT Power... Supply power
...and also include sufficient power-on delay (for Hardware Data Write Protection)... Include power-on delay
Next, "Generate" the tests to be performed...

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