Genesys Introduces CAM BIST

The manufacturer says . . .

Murray Disman says . . .

Genesys Testware Announces the First Built-In-Self-Test Solution for Content Addressable Memories (CAMs) CAMs are widely used as search engines in networking applications. FREMONT, Calif.--July 12, 2001--Genesys Testware, Inc., a leading supplier of embedded test solutions, announced the first commercially available Built-In-Self-Test product for Content Addressable Memories (CAMs). CAMs are widely used in communication and networking applications. Their unique ability to do tens of millions of searches per second makes CAMs ideal as search engines for packet-classification applications. With the addition of CAM BIST to the existing Genesys Memory BistCore Expert product, Genesys is now able to offer the most advanced and comprehensive suite of embedded test solutions in the industry. In addition to CAM support, Memory BistCore Expert also contains BIST for SRAM, DRAM, Register Files, FIFOs, and ROM. CAM BIST implements unique algorithms that test 100% of all stuck-at faults in the comparator, invalidation logic, mask logic, and match lines. CAMs with encoded or decoded match lines and CAMs that have external match lines are also supported. "Fueled by the growth of networking applications, we have seen a rapid increase in the number of SoCs that contain large amounts of SRAM and CAMs," said Bejoy Oomman, President of Genesys Testware. "We have been feeling the heat to provide a solution for CAM testing from many of our existing customers who are developing chips for networking applications. Now this latest addition to our Memory BistCore product will provide customers with the ability to do embedded testing of various types of memory, including CAMs." "We have seen a tremendous increase in the demand for CAMs," said Mo Tamjidi, President of Dolphin Technology, a supplier of custom memories. "This is especially true for companies that are involved in networking applications. We believe the increased demand is because most of these companies are pushing the limits of performance. CAMs provide a significant improvement over alternative RAM-based search engines because all the table entries can be searched simultaneously in a single clock cycle."

One of the trends resulting from reduced feature sizes is the movement of all types of memory onto the chip. This started with SRAM and now is happening with DRAM as the higher densities available make this an economic solution. It doesn't make a lot of sense to put a pad-limited device into production when there are external components that can be incorporated on the chip. Genesys has now added a Content Addressable Memory (CAM) capability to its Memory BistCore Expert product. The product now supports BIST for such embedded memories as SRAM, ROM, DRAM, FIFO, and now binary CAM. Memory BistCore is a library of RTL BIST cores that are parameterized for size and port widths for either synchronous or asynchronous operation. The product also supports memory test algorithms that include MATS, March C, IFA13, March A, and March B. Prices of a site license for Memory BistCore Expert begin at $100,000. Support for ternary CAMs BIST is planned for 3Q2001, and support for CAMs without a read port is planned for 4Q2001.

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