| 摘要 |
<p>A circuit for measuring the access time of a memory circuit. The circuit includes a storage element 908 having an input terminal, an output terminal, and a clock terminal. The input terminal of the storage element is coupled to an output of the memory circuit 900. A clock signal source 906 is coupled to the clock terminal of the storage element and to a clock terminal of the memory circuit. The circuit also includes test circuitry 902 coupled to address and control terminals of the memory circuit and to the output terminal of the storage element. The test circuitry is operable to store or generate a test data pattern and compare the pattern to data output from the storage element. In one embodiment, the storage element is a data latch comprising a clock-enabled inverter serially coupled with a flip-flop. The flip-flop in one embodiment is a cross-coupled inverter storage cell or "keeper". For a clock signal having a pulse length or duty cycle that is longer than the access time of the memory circuit, the output of the storage element matches the data pattern stored by the test circuitry. As the clock frequency is increased, or the duty cycle decreased, so that the pulse length approximates the access time, the data output from the storage element no longer matches the data expected by the test circuitry, thus allowing a determination of the access time. <IMAGE></p> |
