Abstract:
A semiconductor device includes a mode register set suitable for generating a first internal control signal and a second internal control signal, a per-DRAM addressability (PDA) driving unit suitable for resetting the mode register set in response to the first internal control signal and an input value of data inputted through a data pad, and a cycle redundancy check (CRC) driving unit suitable for performing a CRC operation by checking whether or not data are correctly inputted through the data pad without an error in response to the first internal control signal and the second internal control signal.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0068877, filed on Jun. 17, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor design technology, and more particularly, to a semiconductor device, a semiconductor system, and a control method of the semiconductor device. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    In general, a semiconductor device such as a double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM) receives data from an external controller and performs a plurality of operations. However, in case that an error occurs in a data transmission, the semiconductor device receives erroneous data, and this may deteriorate the reliability of the semiconductor device. Recently, as a data processing speed of the semiconductor device is increased, the amount of data received from the external controller is increased, and a transmission speed is increased. As a result, the number of errors, which occur in the data transmission, may be increased. Thus, schemes for overcoming the above-described problem have been developed. One of the schemes is to use a cyclic redundancy check code (CRC) code. 
         [0006]    The CRC code is generated based on data to be transmitted from the external controller. The external controller transmits the data with the CRC code to the semiconductor device. Subsequently, the semiconductor device performs an operation based on the CRC code and the data transmitted from the external device, and generates an operated result. An error, which occurs during a data transmission, may be detected using the operated result. 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a conventional semiconductor device. 
         [0008]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a semiconductor device includes a controller  110  and a semiconductor device  120 . 
         [0009]    The controller  110  transmits data DAT and a CRC code corresponding to the data DAT to the semiconductor device  120 . The semiconductor device  120  performs an operation based on the CRC code and the data DAT, and detects an error, which occurs in a data transmission. The semiconductor device  120  transmits detected error information INF_ERR to the controller  110 . The controller  110  determines whether or not an error occurred in the data transmission based on the detected error information INF_ERR. If the error occurred in the data transmission, the controller  110  re-transmits the data to the semiconductor device  120 . 
         [0010]    Meanwhile in a per-DRAM addressability (hereinafter, referred to as a ‘PDA’) mode and a CRC mode, data are inputted through a data pad. In the CRC mode, the data pad is used in calculating the probability of an error during the data transmission. That is, the data pad has a data value in the CRC mode. However, in the PDA mode, the data pad is used in selecting a specific device using a DRAM module but does not have a data value. Thus, in the PDA mode, the data pad does not need a CRC operation, and may be incorrectly operated if the data pad receives error information through the CRC operation. 
         [0011]    In case that the PDA mode and the CRC mode are simultaneously entered, a conflict between an operation of the PDA mode and an operation of the CRC mode may occur, and this may cause a malfunction. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0012]    Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to a semiconductor device, a semiconductor system, and a control method of the semiconductor device capable of preventing a malfunction generated by a conflict between an operation of a PDA mode and an operation of a CRC mode when the PDA mode and the CRC mode are simultaneously entered. 
         [0013]    In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device includes a mode register set suitable for generating internal control signals including a first internal control signal and a second internal control signal, a per-DRAM addressability (PDA) driving unit suitable for resetting the mode register set in response to the first internal control signal and an input value of data inputted through a data pad, and a cycle redundancy check (CRC) driving unit suitable for performing a CRC operation by checking whether or not data are correctly inputted through the data pad without an error in response to the first internal control signal and the second internal control signal. 
         [0014]    In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor system includes a memory device suitable for performing one of a per-DRAM addressability (PDA) operation and a cycle redundancy check (CRC) operation in response to a plurality of internal control signals generated by a mode register setting operation, and a memory controller suitable for controlling the memory device, wherein the memory device comprises a per-DRAM addressability (PDA) driving unit suitable for resetting a mode register set in response to a first internal control signal of the plurality of internal control signals and an input value of data inputted through a data pad, and a cycle redundancy check (CRC) driving unit suitable for performing a CRC operation by checking whether or not data are correctly inputted through the data pad without an error in response to the first internal control signal and a second internal′ control signal of the plurality of internal control signals. 
         [0015]    In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a control method of a semiconductor device includes generating internal control signals including a first internal control signal and a second internal control signal by a mode register setting operation, resetting the mode register set in response to the first internal control signal and an input value of data inputted through a data pad, and performing a CRC operation by detecting whether data are inputted through the data pad without an error in response to the first internal control signal and the second internal control signal. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a conventional semiconductor device. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a detailed block diagram illustrating a CRC driving unit shown in  FIG. 2  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. Throughout the disclosure, reference numerals correspond directly to the like parts in the various figures and embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0021]    The drawings are not necessarily to scale and in some instances, proportions may have been exaggerated in order to clearly illustrate features of the embodiments. In this specification, specific terms have been used. The terms are used to describe the present invention, and are not used to qualify the sense or limit the scope of the present invention. 
         [0022]    It is also noted that in this specification, ‘and/or’ represents that one or more of components arranged before and after ‘and/or’ is included. Furthermore, “connected/coupled” refers to one component not only directly coupling another component but also indirectly coupling another component through an intermediate component. In addition, a singular form may include a plural form as long as it is not specifically mentioned in a sentence. Furthermore, ‘include/comprise’ or ‘including/comprising’ used in the specification represents that one or more components, steps, operations, and elements exists or are added. 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0024]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the semiconductor device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an MRS  1100 , a CRC driving unit  1200 , and a PDA driving unit  1300 . Moreover, the semiconductor device may further include a latch unit  1400 . 
         [0025]    The MRS  1100  generates and outputs a plurality of internal control signals PDAEN and CRCEN by a setting operation of the MRS  1100  in response to an address signal ADD. The CRC driving unit  1200  performs a CRC operation by detecting whether or not data are correctly inputted through a data pad (not shown) without an error in response to a first internal control signal PDAEN and a second internal control signal CRCEN. The PDA driving unit  1300  resets the MRS  1100  in response to the first internal control signal PDAEN and the data input through the data pad. Furthermore, the latch unit  1400  latches data DQ0 input through the data pad in response to a data strobe signal DQS to output latched data L_DATA to the CRC driving unit  1200  and the PDA driving unit  1300 . 
         [0026]    The CRC driving unit  1200  includes a control unit  1210  and a CRC operation unit  1220 . The control unit  1210  receives the first and second internal control signals PDAEN and CRCEN. When the first internal control signal PDAEN and the second internal control signal CRCEN are simultaneously activated, the control unit  1210  inactivates the second internal control signal CRCEN and outputs an inverted second internal control signal ICRCEN. 
         [0027]    Meanwhile, in case of double data rate 4 (DDR4) DRAMs, when data is received through a data pad, a value of the data is classified into ‘0’ or ‘1’ on the basis of a reference value. Herein, the DRAMs may internally generate the reference value, and may operate correctly when a minimum value of the reference value is properly set. 
         [0028]    However, since a speed, a noise, or a circumstance of each of the DRAMs is not same, an optimized minimum value of the DRAM is different from each other. Thus, in a PDA mode, the DRAMs may be individually controlled in a DRAM module. 
         [0029]    For example, in case of first to ninth DRAMs in a DRAM module, it is assumed that at least one predetermined DRAM is selected when a logic low value is inputted through the data pad. When the PDA mode is entered by an MRS, the data pad may be used in selecting the predetermined DRAM instead of having a data value. 
         [0030]    For example, if a logic high value is input through the data pad, any of the DRAMs does not perform an operation in response to an MRS command. If a logic low value is input through the data pad, the predetermined DRAM performs an operation corresponding to the MRS command. That is, the MRS command is commonly input, but a logic high value or a logic low value is individually input to each DRAM in the DRAM module through the data pad. 
         [0031]    After the DDR4 DRAM, as an operation voltage of the DRAM is lowered and a speed of the DRAM is increased, an error probability in a data transmission becomes increased. Thus, a CRC code is used in checking whether the data are correctly transferred. In case of a write operation of the DRAM, an error of a data transmission when a system transfers data to the DRAM is detected in the CRC mode. That is, in the CRC mode, data may be transferred through the data pad. In other words, the data pad may have a data value in the CRC mode. 
         [0032]    On the other hand, in the PDA mode, the data pad is used in selecting a specific DRAM in a DRAM module, and data dose not transfer through the data pad. In other words, in the PDA mode, the data pad does not have a data value. Thus, in the PDA mode, a CRC operation is not performed through the data pad. If error caused by the CRC operation is outputted through the data pad, a malfunction may be performed in the DRAM 
         [0033]    Thus, if the CRC mode and the PDA mode are simultaneously entered, a malfunction may occur in performing the CRC mode and the PDA mode. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment, the control unit  1210  of the CRC driving unit  1200  inactivates the second internal control signal CRCEN and outputs the inverted second internal control signal ICRCEN in response to a priority sequence determined by internally controlling the CRC mode and the PDA mode. 
         [0034]    The CRC operation unit  1220  performs the CRC operation on the latched data L_DATA outputted from the latch unit  1400  when the inverted second internal control signal ICRCEN outputted from the control unit  1210  is activated. That is, the CRC operation unit  1220  does not perform the CRC operation on the latched data L_DATA when the first internal control signal PDAEN and the second internal control signal CRCEN are simultaneously activated. 
         [0035]    The PDA driving unit  1300  includes a PDA calculation unit  1310  and a reset signal generation unit  1320 . 
         [0036]    The PDA calculation unit  1310  outputs a determination signal PDA_DQ0 for determining whether an MRS command is performed in response to the first internal control signal PDAEN and the latched data L_DATA. In particular, when the first internal control signal PDAEN is activated, the PDA calculation unit  1310  outputs the determination signal PDA_DQ0 based on the latched data L_DATA. The determination signal PDA_DQ0 does not have a data value, and is used in determining whether the MRS command is performed or not. 
         [0037]    The reset signal generation unit  1320  generates a reset signal RST for resetting the MRS in response to the determination signal PDA_DQ0 outputted from the PDA calculation unit  1310 . Herein, if the determination signal PDA_DQ0 has a logic high value, the reset signal RST is activated and the MRS  1100  is reset in response to the reset signal RST so that the MRS command is not performed. If the determination signal PDA_DQ0 has a logic low value, the MRS command is performed. 
         [0038]      FIG. 3  is a detailed block diagram illustrating the CRC driving unit  1200  shown in  FIG. 2  in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0039]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the CRC driving unit  1200  includes the control unit  1210  and the CRC operation unit  1220 . 
         [0040]    The control unit  1210  includes a first inverter INV1, a NAND gate ND and a second inverter INV2. The first inverter INV1 inverts the first internal control signal PDAEN and outputs an inverted first internal control signal IPDAEN. The NAND gate ND performs a NAND operation on the inverted first internal control signal IPDAEN and the second internal control signal CRCEN and outputs a result of the NAND operation. The second inverter INV2 inverts the result of the NAND operation and outputs the inverted second internal control signal ICRCEN. 
         [0041]    Thus, when the first internal control signal PDAEN and the second internal control signal CRCEN are simultaneously activated, the inverted second internal control signal ICRCEN is inactivated and outputted. 
         [0042]    That is the control unit  1210  determines the priority sequence of the first internal control signal PDAEN and the second internal control signal CRCEN and outputs the inverted second internal control signal ICRCEN in response to the priority sequence. When the first internal control signal PDAEN is inactivated, the second internal control signal CRCEN is output as the inverted second internal control signal ICRCEN. When the first internal control signal PDAEN is activated, the inverted second internal control signal ICRCEN is output to have a fixed logic low level. Thus, the second internal control signal CRCEN may be dependent on the first internal control signal PDAEN. 
         [0043]    The CRC operation unit  1220  includes a CRC strobe signal generation unit  1221 , a CRC calculation unit  1222 , and a CRC error information output unit  1223 . The CRC operation unit  1220  operates when the inverted second internal control signal ICRCEN is activated. 
         [0044]    The CRC strobe signal generation unit  1221  receives the latched data L_DATA through the latch unit  1400  when the inverted second internal control signal ICRCEN is activated, and generates a CRC strobe signal CRC_DQS in response to the inverted second internal control signal ICRCEN. The CRC calculation unit  1222  calculates an error value ERR using the CRC strobe signal CRC_DQS. The error information output unit  1223  outputs error information INF_ERR regarding an error state of the latched data L_DATA based on the calculated error value ERR. 
         [0045]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor system in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         [0046]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the semiconductor system in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention includes a memory device  1000  and a memory controller  2000 . 
         [0047]    The memory device  1000  enters one of a PDA mode and CRC mode in response to a plurality of internal control signals, which are generated by a mode register setting operation. Herein, since a configuration and an operation of the memory device  1000  are substantially the same as those of the semiconductor device shown in  FIG. 2 , the descriptions of the memory device  1000  will be omitted. 
         [0048]    The memory controller  2000  may control the memory device  1000 . The memory controller  2000  generates an address signal ADD for the mode register setting operation and transmits data DQ0 for a in data latch operation to the memory device  1000  through a data pad. Herein, a data strobe signal DQS is transmitted to the memory device  1000  for the data latch operation. 
         [0049]    As described above, the semiconductor device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may control the PDA mode or the CRC mode based on an internal priority sequence of the semiconductor device when the PDA mode and the CRC mode are simultaneously entered based on a mode register setting information. Thus, the semiconductor device may prevent a malfunction from being performed. 
         [0050]    While the present invention has been described with respect to the specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.