Patent ID: 6922800

Claim:
A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method claims for improving the efficiency of test sequences for testing an array of a plurality of random access memories (RAMs) embedded in logic, each of the RAMs having at least one read port and one write port, the read port having a plurality of output terminals and address input terminals and the write port having a plurality of data input terminals and address input terminals, the method steps comprising: a) applying an initial test sequence to a plurality of inputs of the logic; b) identifying which of the outputs of the at least one read port of each of the RAMs has an indeterminate value; and c) setting each of the outputs of the at least one read port in each of the RAMs having an indeterminate value to a known value by: c1) forcing the address input terminals of the at least one read port to read a first word at a first address such that the first word read appears at the output terminals of the at least one read port; and in the event where step c1) fails to set the outputs of the at least one read port having an indeterminate value to a known value, performing step c2) by c2) writing a second word at a second address accessible to the at least one write port and forcing the read address terminal of the at least one read port to read the second word, wherein the second written word appears at the output terminals.