Testing and Reliability-Enhancement Techniques for Stacked Memories(1/3)

Through-silicon-via based 2.5D/3D IC is one important IC design technology. However, testing andreliability issues are two key challenges for the volume production and quality of 2.5D/3D ICs.Therefore, we attempt to develop important techniques for overcoming those two issues under the grandproject entitled“Design-for-Testability and -Reliability Techniques for 2.5D/3D ICs” which includessix subprojects. Those subprojects are: subproject 1 entitled “Device and Circuit Reliability Analysis forStacked Memories”; subproject 2 entitled “Testing and Reliability-Enhancement Techniques for StackedMemories”; subproject 3 entitled “Controller-Level Reliability-Enhancement Techniques for StackedMemories”; subproject 4 entitled “Design-for-Reliability Techniques for Processor Cores of 2.5D/3DICs”; subproject 5 entitled “Test Optimization Techniques for 2.5D/3D ICs”; and subproject 6 entitled ”Design-for-Reliability Techniques for Power/Ground Networks of 2.5D/3D ICs”. We will developcircuit-level, RTL-level, and architecture-level testing and reliability-enhancement techniques for2.5D/3D ICs.Undoubtedly, stacked memory is one key component in 2.5D/3D ICs. Therefore, subproject 2 willdevelop effective testing and reliability-enhancement techniques for stacked memories in 2.5D/3D ICs.Those techniques include 1) built-in self-test techniques for stacked memories, 2) built-in self-repairtechniques for stack memory arrays, 3) built-in self-repair techniques for IO channels of stackedmemories, 4) adaptively dynamic error-correction-code scheme for stacked memories, and 5) hybridspare bits and error-correction-code techniques for stacked memories.