Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/113,401 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,423,839) filed on May 23, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/869,308 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,949,908) filed on Oct. 9, 2007, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/829,072, filed on Oct. 11, 2006. The entire disclosures of the applications referenced above are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to memory devices, and more particularly to repairing memory locations within memory devices. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. 
         [0004]    Semiconductor memory devices, such as random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read only memory (ROM), programmable read only memory (PROM), electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), and/or flash memory, include an integrated circuit (IC) that stores data and/or code. In certain applications, loss of any of the data may require a manufacturer and/or end user to replace the memory, which may be costly. 
         [0005]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a memory control module  10  may control read/write operations to memory  14 . The memory  14  includes memory banks  42 - 1 ,  42 - 2 , . . . , and  42 -x (collectively referred to as memory banks  42 ). Each memory bank  42  includes address rows  44 - 1 ,  44 - 2 , . . . , and  44 -y, referred to collectively as address rows  44 , and address columns  46 - 1 ,  46 - 2 , . . . , and  46 -z (collectively referred to as address columns  46 ). Data bits are stored in the memory  14  according to specific address rows  44  and address columns  46  in each memory bank  42 . Various methods are used to correct defects and improve memory yield. One method includes adding redundant address locations to the memory  14 . 
         [0006]    Referring now to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , a memory repair device  64  may correct defects in the memory  14 . The memory repair device  64  may be internal or external to a system that includes the memory  14 . The memory repair  64  device may be implemented in a built-in self-test (BIST) that may include hardware or automatic test equipment (ATE) that may include software. The memory repair device  64  may command a memory repair sub-circuit  65  that may substitute redundant rows and/or columns of the memory  14  for defective address rows and/or columns. 
         [0007]    The memory  14  includes memory banks  42 , address rows  44 , and address columns  46 . Each memory bank  42  includes redundant address rows  58 - 1 ,  58 - 2 , . . . , and  58 -m (referred to collectively as redundant address rows  58 ), and/or redundant address columns  60 - 1 ,  60 - 2 , . . . , and  60 -n (referred to collectively as redundant address columns  60 ). Alternatively, the memory  14  may include redundant memory banks that may be substituted for defective banks. 
         [0008]    Initially, the bit locations provided by the redundant address rows  58  and address columns  60  are not associated with a particular memory address. The memory repair sub-circuit  65  programs the redundant address rows  58  and address columns  60  to correspond to a specific memory address when a bit location associated with a memory address is found to be defective. The memory repair sub-circuit  65  may use hard repair or soft repair operations. Both hard and soft repair operations result in a redundant memory portion being used to store the data that would have otherwise been stored in the defective memory portion. Basically, the defective memory portion is remapped to the redundant memory portion either reversibly with a soft repair operation or irreversibly with a hard repair operation. 
         [0009]    For a hard repair operation, the memory repair sub-circuit  65  may include fuses  63 - 1 ,  63 - 2 , . . . , and  63 -a, referred to collectively as fuses  63  (e.g. laser fuses and/or electrical fuses). The memory repair device  64  is connected to the memory repair sub-circuit  65  to determine a defective bit location associated with a memory address. The memory repair device  64  blows one or more of the fuses  63  (i.e. applies a laser or electrical current to the fuses  63 ) to form a new data path to the redundant location. Thereafter, data that is directed to be stored at the memory address may be stored in the redundant location. In this manner, an originally defective memory device may be repaired and also may be suitable to be used and/or sold. 
         [0010]    In  FIG. 2B , an exemplary memory repair sub-circuit  65  is shown in further detail. Signals  66 - 1 ,  66 - 2 , . . . , and  66 -b, referred to collectively as signals  66 , are indicative of memory addresses of defective memory locations. For example, the signals  66  may be indicative of a defective address row. The memory repair sub-circuit  65  receives the signals  66  and a repair signal  67  from the memory repair device  64 . The signals  66  are input to a redundant row decoder  68 . The redundant row decoder  68  communicates with a redundant row  58 - 1  according to statuses of the fuses  63 . As described above, the memory repair device  64  may be used to blow one or more of the fuses  63  to program the redundant row decoder  68  to associate a particular memory address with the redundant row  58 - 1 . A similar approach may be used for redundant columns. 
         [0011]    As mentioned, the above-described memory hard repair operation results in a permanent re-association of the memory address with the redundant location. The memory repair operation permanently changes the electrical behavior of the fuse element. In the case of a laser fuse, a high energy laser beam cuts through the fuse (i.e. a conductive fuse element is rendered non-conductive as a result of the memory repair operation). In the case of an electrical fuse, an electric pulse or pulses are applied to the fuse element. As a result, the fuse element changes from conductive to non-conductive or from non-conductive to conductive. A hard repair is performed once during manufacturing test, and is permanent for the lifetime of the memory. 
         [0012]    For a soft repair, the memory repair device  64  remaps data paths by storing values in a remapping register of the memory repair sub-circuit  65  so that data is stored in memory  14  according to the remapping register. For example, the remapping register causes certain logic gates to be turned on and other logic gates to be turned off similar to blowing fuses in the hard repair operation. The registers, however, may be reset; and soft repairs may not permanently alter data paths to the memory  14 . 
       SUMMARY 
       [0013]    A memory system is provided and includes an array of memory cells and a repair module. Multiple memory cells in the array of memory cells are redundant to other memory cells in the array of memory cells. The repair module is configured to iteratively test the array of memory cells. During the iterative testing of the array of memory cells, the repair module is configured to, during each test of the array of memory cells, (i) identify one or more defective memory cells in the array of memory cells, if any, and (ii) in response to one or more defective memory cells being identified during the test, respectively replace the one or more defective memory cells with one or more memory cells that are redundant to other memory cells in the array of memory cells. The repair module is configured to perform the iterative testing of the array of memory cells until (i) the repair module does not detect a defective memory cell or (ii) no memory cells of the memory cells that are redundant to other memory cells in the array of memory cells remain available for replacement of a defective memory cell. 
         [0014]    A method is provided and includes iteratively testing an array of memory cells. Multiple memory cells in the array of memory cells are redundant to other memory cells in the array of memory cells. The iterative testing of the array of memory cells includes, during each test of the array of memory cells, (i) identifying one or more defective memory cells in the array of memory cells, if any, and (ii) in response to one or more defective memory cells being identified during the test, respectively replacing the one or more defective memory cells with one or more of the plurality of memory cells that are redundant to other memory cells in the array of memory cells. The iterative testing of the array of memory cells is performed until (i) a defective memory cell is no longer detected or (ii) no memory cells of the memory cells that are redundant to other memory cells in the array of memory cells remain available for replacement of a defective memory cell. 
         [0015]    A non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store a computer program. The computer program includes instructions to cause a programmable processor to iteratively test an array of memory cells. Memory cells in the array of memory cells are redundant to other memory cells in the array of memory cells. The instructions to cause the programmable processor to iteratively test the array of memory cells includes instructions to cause the programmable processor to, during each test of the array of memory cells, (i) identify one or more defective memory cells in the array of memory cells, if any, and (ii) in response to one or more defective memory cells being identified during the test, respectively replace the one or more defective memory cells with one or more of the plurality of memory cells that are redundant to other memory cells in the array of memory cells. The instructions to cause the programmable processor to iteratively test the array of memory cells includes instructions to cause the programmable processor to perform the iterative testing of the array of memory cells until (i) a defective memory cell is no longer detected or (ii) no memory cells of the plurality of memory cells that are redundant to other memory cells in the array of memory cells remain available for replacement of a defective memory cell. 
         [0016]    A memory system is provided and includes an array of memory cells and a repair module. The array of memory cells includes redundant memory cells. The redundant memory cells include at least two of (i) a redundant row of memory cells and (ii) a redundant column of memory cells. The repair module is configured to (i) identify at least two of a row and a column of the array of memory cells having non-operational memory cells and (ii) substitute the at least two of the row and the column of the array of memory cells having non-operational memory cells with selected rows or columns of the redundant memory cells based on X predetermined sequences of substitutions, where X is an integer greater than 1. The repair module is configured to detect a failure in the array of memory cells that cannot be repaired using the X predetermined sequences of substitutions, and use an alternative repair sequence to repair the non-operational memory cells based on the detection of the failure. 
         [0017]    In other features, a self-repairing memory system includes memory including memory elements and redundant memory elements. The memory elements include a plurality of memory cells. A memory repair module identifies non-operational memory cells and selects at least one memory element including the non-operational memory cells. A first repair sub-circuit soft repairs the memory by substituting the selected memory elements with the redundant memory elements. A second repair sub-circuit hard repairs the memory based on the substitutions. 
         [0018]    In other features, the second repair sub-circuit hard repairs the memory when substantially all of the non-operational memory cells identified by the memory repair module are repaired by the substitutions. The first memory repair sub-circuit includes registers, and the second memory repair sub-circuit includes at least one of fuses and anti-fuses. At least one of the first memory repair sub-circuit, the second memory repair sub-circuit, the memory repair module, and the memory control module is integrated with the memory in an integrated circuit. The memory repair module selects one of the memory elements for a respective one of the non-operational memory cells from a group consisting of at least two of a row, a column, a block, and a bank. 
         [0019]    In other features, the memory repair module includes a built-in system test (GIST) module. The memory repair module tests the redundant elements for failures prior to the soft repairs. Prior to the hard repairs, at least one of the redundant elements is used to store data that implements at least one of the soft repairs. The at least one redundant element stores data that is used to implement the soft repairs during boot-up of the memory. The memory repair module selects one of the memory elements for each of the non-operational memory cells from a group consisting of a row, a column, a block, and a bank based on a first predetermined combination. 
         [0020]    In other features, the first predetermined combination includes selecting two rows and two columns of the redundant memory elements to replace two rows and two columns of the memory elements. The memory repair module selects a second predetermined combination when the first predetermined combination fails to repair the non-operational memory cells. When the second predetermined combination is selected, the memory repair module does not retain repair data of prior substitutions relating to the first predetermined combination. 
         [0021]    In other features, a memory system includes memory including memory elements and redundant memory elements. The memory elements include a plurality of memory cells. A memory repair module identifies non-operational memory cells and selects at least one memory element including the non-operational memory cells based on X different combinations of substitutions. The memory repair module substitutes one of the redundant elements for one of the selected memory elements for each of the substitutions. The memory repair module determines that one of the X different combinations of substitutions repairs the memory. X is a number greater than 1. 
         [0022]    In other features, a first memory repair sub-circuit soft repairs the memory based on the substitutions. A second memory repair sub-circuit hard repairs the memory based on one of the X different combinations. The first memory repair sub-circuit includes a plurality of registers, and the second memory repair sub-circuit includes at least one of a plurality of fuses and a plurality of anti-fuses. The first and second memory repair sub-circuits are integrated with the memory in an integrated circuit. 
         [0023]    In other features, the memory repair module selects one of the memory elements for a respective one of the non-operational memory cells from a group consisting of at least two of a row, a column, a block, and a bank. The memory repair module includes a built-in system test (GIST). The memory repair module tests one of the redundant elements for failures prior to the substitutions. The memory repair module substitutes the selected memory elements with one of the redundant memory elements for each of the substitutions until the memory repair module determines that the X different combinations fail to repair the memory. 
         [0024]    In other features, the memory repair module tests the memory according to each of the X different combinations successively. For each successive one of the X different combinations, the memory repair module does not retain data of prior substitutions of the redundant memory elements. The memory repair module substitutes the one of the redundant elements for the one of the selected memory elements for each of the substitutions until the memory repair module determines that one of the X different combinations of substitutions repairs the memory. 
         [0025]    In other features, a method for self-repairing a memory system includes identifying non-operational memory cells of memory elements. Memory includes the memory elements and redundant memory elements. The memory elements include a plurality of memory cells including the non-operational cells. The method also includes selecting at least one memory element including the non-operational memory cells. The method also includes soft-repairing the memory by substituting the selected memory elements with the redundant memory elements. The method also includes hard-repairing the memory based on the substitutions. 
         [0026]    In other features, the method includes hard-repairing the memory when substantially all of the non-operational memory cells identified by the memory repair module are repaired by the substitutions. The method also includes hard-repairing the memory by operating at least one of fuses and anti-fuses. The method also includes selecting one of the memory elements for a respective one of the non-operational memory cells from a group consisting of at least two of a row, a column, a block, and a bank. The method also includes testing the redundant elements for failures prior to the soft-repairing. The method also includes storing data that implements at least one of the soft repairs in at least one of the redundant elements. 
         [0027]    In other features, the method includes storing data that is used to implement the soft-repairing during boot-up of the memory. The method also includes selecting one of the memory elements for each of the non-operational memory cells from a group consisting of a row, a column, a block, and a bank based on a first predetermined combination. The first predetermined combination includes selecting two rows and two columns of the redundant memory elements to replace two rows and two columns of the memory elements. The method also includes selecting a second predetermined combination when the first predetermined combination fails to repair the non-operational memory cells. 
         [0028]    In other features, a method includes identifying non-operational memory cells. The method also includes selecting at least one memory element including the non-operational memory cells based on X different combinations of substitutions. The method also includes substituting one of a plurality of redundant elements for one of the selected memory elements for each of the substitutions. The method also includes determining that one of the X different combinations of substitutions repairs the memory. X is a number greater than 1. 
         [0029]    In other features, the method includes soft-repairing the memory based on the substitutions. The method also includes hard-repairing the memory based on the one of the X different combinations. The memory elements are selected from a group consisting of at least two of a row, a column, a block, and a bank. The method also includes testing one of the redundant elements for failures prior to the substitutions. The method also includes substituting the selected memory elements with one of the redundant memory elements for each of the substitutions until the X different combinations fail to repair the memory. The method also includes testing the memory according to each of the X different combinations successively. 
         [0030]    In other features, the method includes substituting one of the redundant elements for the one of the selected memory elements for each of the substitutions. The substitutions continue until determining that one of the X different combinations of substitutions repairs the memory. 
         [0031]    In other features, a self-repairing memory system includes storage means for storing data including memory elements and redundant memory elements. The memory elements include a plurality of memory cells. The system also includes memory repair means for identifying non-operational memory cells and for selecting at least one memory element including the non-operational memory cells. The system also includes first repair means for soft-repairing the memory by substituting the selected memory elements with the redundant memory elements. The system also includes second repair means for hard-repairing the memory based on the substitutions. 
         [0032]    In other features, the second repair means hard repairs the memory when substantially all of the non-operational memory cells identified by the memory repair means are repaired by the substitutions. The first memory repair means includes registers and the second memory repair means includes at least one of fuses and anti-fuses. The memory repair means selects one of the memory elements for a respective one of the non-operational memory cells from a group consisting of at least two of a row, a column, a block, and a bank. The memory repair means includes a built-in system test (GIST). 
         [0033]    In other features, the memory repair means tests the redundant elements for failures prior to the soft repairs. Prior to the hard repairs, at least one of the redundant elements is used to store data that implements at least one of the soft repairs. At least one redundant element stores data that is used to implement the soft repairs during boot-up of the storage means. The memory repair means selects one of the memory elements for each of the non-operational memory cells from a group consisting of a row, a column, a block, and a bank based on a first predetermined combination. The first predetermined combination includes selecting two rows and two columns of the redundant memory elements to replace two rows and two columns of the memory elements. 
         [0034]    In other features, the memory repair means selects a second predetermined combination when the first predetermined combination fails to repair the non-operational memory cells. When the second predetermined combination is selected, the memory repair means does not retain repair data of prior substitutions relating to the first predetermined combination. 
         [0035]    In other features, a memory system includes storage means for storing data including memory elements and redundant memory element. The memory elements include a plurality of cells. The system also includes memory repair means for identifying non-operational memory cells and for selecting at least one memory element including the non-operational memory cells based on X different combinations of substitutions. The memory repair means substitutes one of the redundant elements for one of the selected memory elements for each of the substitutions. The memory repair means determines that one of the X different combinations of substitutions repairs the memory. X is a number greater than 1. 
         [0036]    In other features, a memory system includes first memory repair means for soft-repairing the storage means based on the substitutions. The system also includes second memory repair means for hard-repairing the storage means based on the one of the X different combinations. The first memory repair means includes a plurality of registers and the second memory repair means includes at least one of a plurality of fuses and a plurality of anti-fuses. The memory repair means selects one of the memory elements for a respective one of the non-operational memory cells from a group consisting of at least two of a row, a column, a block, and a bank. 
         [0037]    In other features, the memory repair means includes a built-in system test (GIST). The memory repair means tests one of the redundant elements for failures prior to the substitutions. The memory repair means substitutes the selected memory elements with one of the redundant memory elements for each of the substitutions until the memory repair means determines that the X different combinations fail to repair the memory. The memory repair means tests the memory according to each of the X different combinations successively. 
         [0038]    In other features, for each successive one of the X different combinations, the memory repair means does not retain data of prior substitutions of the redundant memory elements. The memory repair means substitutes one of the redundant elements for one of the selected memory elements for each of the substitutions. The substitutions are continued until the memory repair means determines that one of the X different combinations of substitutions repairs the storage means. 
         [0039]    In other features, a self-repairing memory system includes memory including memory elements and redundant memory elements. The memory elements include a plurality of memory cells. A memory repair module identifies faulty memory cells and selects at least one memory element including the faulty memory cells. A repair sub-circuit includes reversibly programmable circuits that repair the memory by substituting the at least one memory element with the redundant memory elements. 
         [0040]    In other features, the memory repair module selects one of the memory elements for each of the faulty memory cells from a group consisting of a row, a column, a block, and a bank based on a first predetermined combination. The first predetermined combination includes selecting two rows and two columns of the redundant memory elements to replace two rows and two columns of the memory elements. 
         [0041]    In other features, the memory repair module selects a second predetermined combination when the first predetermined combination fails to repair the faulty memory cells. When the second predetermined combination is selected, the memory repair module does not retain repair data of prior substitutions relating to the first predetermined combination. The memory repair module cycles through a plurality of predetermined combinations to repair the faulty memory cells. The repair sub-circuit repairs the memory when substantially all of the faulty memory cells identified by the memory repair module are repaired by the substitutions. 
         [0042]    In other features, the memory repair sub-circuit includes reversible fuses. The reversible fuses include flash based fuse circuits. The memory repair module selects one of the memory elements for a respective one of the faulty memory cells from a group consisting of at least two of a row, a column, a block, and a bank. The memory repair module comprises a built-in system test (GIST) module. 
         [0043]    In other features, a self-repairing memory system includes means for storing data including memory elements and redundant memory elements. The memory elements include a plurality of memory cells. The system also includes memory repair means for identifying faulty memory cells and selecting at least one memory element including the faulty memory cells. Repair sub-means are included for reversibly programming circuits that repair the means for storing data by substituting at least one memory element with the redundant memory elements. 
         [0044]    In other features, the memory repair means selects one of the memory elements for each of the faulty memory cells from a group consisting of a row, a column, a block, and a bank based on a first predetermined combination. The first predetermined combination includes selecting two rows and two columns of the redundant memory elements to replace two rows and two columns of the memory elements. 
         [0045]    In other features, the memory repair means selects a second predetermined combination when the first predetermined combination fails to repair the faulty memory cells. When the second predetermined combination is selected, the memory repair means does not retain repair data of prior substitutions relating to the first predetermined combination. The memory repair means cycles through a plurality of predetermined combinations to repair the faulty memory cells. The repair sub-means repairs the means for storing data when substantially all of the faulty memory cells identified by the memory repair means are repaired by the substitutions. 
         [0046]    In other features, the memory repair sub-means includes reversible fuses. The reversible fuses include flash based fuse circuits. The memory repair means selects one of the memory elements for a respective one of the faulty memory cells from a group consisting of at least two of a row, a column, a block, and a bank. The memory repair means comprises built-in system test (BIST) means for testing a system. 
         [0047]    Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the disclosure, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0048]    The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0049]      FIG. 1  is a functional block diagram of an exemplary memory system according to the prior art; 
           [0050]      FIG. 2A  is a functional block diagram of a memory that includes redundant rows and columns according to the prior art; 
           [0051]      FIG. 2B  is a functional block diagram of a redundant memory circuit that includes fuses according to the prior art; 
           [0052]      FIG. 3  is a functional block diagram of a memory repair system according to the present disclosure; 
           [0053]      FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram of a memory repair module according to the present disclosure; 
           [0054]      FIG. 5  is a chart that illustrates a method for operating the memory repair system according to the present disclosure; 
           [0055]      FIGS. 6A-6L  are functional block diagrams of exemplary memory according to the present disclosure; 
           [0056]      FIG. 7  is a flow diagram that illustrates steps for operating a memory repair module according to the present disclosure; 
           [0057]      FIG. 8A  is a flow diagram that illustrates steps of a memory repair method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0058]      FIG. 8B  is a flow diagram that illustrates steps of a memory repair method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure 
           [0059]      FIG. 9A  is a functional block diagram of a hard disk drive; 
           [0060]      FIG. 9B  is a functional block diagram of a DVD drive; 
           [0061]      FIG. 9C  is a functional block diagram of a high definition television; 
           [0062]      FIG. 9D  is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control system; 
           [0063]      FIG. 9E  is a functional block diagram of a cellular phone; 
           [0064]      FIG. 9F  is a functional block diagram of a set top box; and 
           [0065]      FIG. 9G  is a functional block diagram of a mobile device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0066]    The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. For purposes of clarity, the same reference numbers will be used in the drawings to identify similar elements. As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical or. It should be understood that steps within a method may be executed in different order without altering the principles of the present disclosure. 
         [0067]    As used herein, the term module refers to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. 
         [0068]    According to the present disclosure, memory includes redundant and non-redundant data storage/memory elements. The data storage elements may be cells, rows, columns, banks, and/or blocks of the memory. A memory control module may detect defects in the memory and trigger a memory repair operation. A memory repair module may test the memory and determine what repairs, if any, will repair the memory. 
         [0069]    The memory repair module may be a modified built-in system test (BIST) that repairs memory via an on-the-fly process that includes both soft and hard repair operations. When a failure occurs in a read/write from the memory, the memory repair module may respond as if the failed cell or cells are defective. The memory repair module may remap the memory based on one or more different repair combinations that may be sets of sequences of repair operations. 
         [0070]    Each of the repair operation sequences may include the same number of predetermined repair operations that may relate to the number of redundant elements. Each of the repair operations may include substituting a defective element of the memory with a redundant element. The memory repair module may reallocate the redundant elements for each repair combination/set. 
         [0071]    As mentioned, the number of repair combinations may relate to the number of redundant elements. For example, if there are two redundant rows and two redundant columns for a square memory array, the number of repair combinations may be determined according to: C 2   4 →(2+2)!/(2!×2!)=(1×2×3×4)/(1×2×1×2)= 6 . Therefore, 6 different combinations of repair substitutions may be used to repair the memory. In other words, for this example, there are optimally 6 ways/combinations of substituting 4 redundant rows/columns for  4  non-redundant rows/columns in response to memory failures. To further illustrate, if there are four redundant rows and four redundant columns, C 4   8 →(4+4)!/(4!×4!)=70. Therefore, there may be 70 different combinations that may be used to repair the memory. 
         [0072]    The memory repair module may control soft repair operations to test each substitution while forming the new memory map. The soft repair operations may include simulating a hard repair operation by mapping a plurality of registers. The memory control module may read/write from memory according to the soft repairs so that the memory repair module may determine that one of the sequences has successfully repaired the memory. If the memory is repairable, the memory repair module may then control hard repair operations to permanently remap the memory according to the sequence that repairs the memory. In other words, the memory repair module may then blow fuses for a hard repair of the memory. In this manner, memory defects/failures may be repaired during manufacturing, after manufacturing, and/or after sale and use. 
         [0073]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a system  100  for self-repair of memory  104  is shown. The memory  104  includes redundant memory elements  105  as described above. The system  100  further includes a memory repair module  110  and a memory control module  112 . 
         [0074]    The memory repair module  110  may control soft and hard repair operations when either or both the memory repair module  110  and the memory control module  112  detects a failure. The memory repair module  110  controls a first memory repair sub-circuit  113  for soft repair operations and a second memory repair sub-circuit, which may be a fuse box  114 , for hard repair operations. 
         [0075]    Alternatively, hard and soft repair operations may be included in a single hybrid module. Further, some or all of the hard and soft repair operations may be conducted through programmable reversible fuses, such as flash based fuse circuits, that may be written to/blown multiple times. For example, the memory repair module  110  may determine a repair necessary in a soft repair operation using the reversible fuses and then and then program the reversible fuses in a hard repair operation. 
         [0076]    The memory repair sub-circuit  113  may set one or more registers (not shown) to, for example,  0  and  1 , to cause appropriate remapped data paths to be activated. The fuse box  114  may include fuse elements as described in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . The memory  104  may be integrated with any or all of the memory repair module  110 , the memory repair sub-circuit  113 , and the fuse box  114 . 
         [0077]    The memory control module  112  may invoke the memory repair module  110  to repair memory failures. Alternatively, the memory repair module  110  may automatically detect and repair the memory failures at any time during and/or after manufacturing of the system  100 . Therefore, external memory repair through, for example, automatic test equipment (ATE) may not be required. The memory repair module  110  may execute detect and/or repair functions conditionally, at power-up, and/or when triggered by a user. 
         [0078]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the memory repair module  110  may include memory condition, testing control, hard repair command, soft repair command, and combination index sub-modules  122 ,  124 ,  126 ,  128 ,  129 . The testing control sub-module  124  may analyze data read from the memory  104  to determine whether the data read from respective addresses in the memory  104  matches the data originally written to those respective addresses. The testing control sub-module  124  may determine that a failure has been detected in the memory  104  when data read from a particular address in the memory  104  does not match the data written to that address. The testing control sub-module  124  may determine a soft repair map for the memory  104 . 
         [0079]    The soft repair sub-module  128  may control the memory repair sub-circuit  113  based on the soft repair map. When the testing control sub-module  124  determines that the memory  104  is repaired, the hard repair sub-module  126  may control the hard repair fuse box  114 . The hard repair fuse box  114  may include non-programmable and/or programmable fuses, such as flash based fuse circuits. 
         [0080]    The hard repair fuse box  114  may blow electrical fuses as necessary to re-associate memory addresses with the redundant memory elements  105  based on the soft repair map. Alternatively, the hard repair fuse box  114  may include anti-fuses that form connections as necessary to re-associate memory addresses with the redundant memory elements  105 . Fuses would not need to be blown if the fuses used are programmable/reversible. The memory condition sub-module  122  generates repaired/not repairable signals that are received in the memory control module  112 . The combination index sub-module  129  includes operations for a plurality of solution combinations for repairing the memory  104 . Each of the combinations includes a sequence of repair operations and may be used by the testing control sub-module  124  for testing of the memory  104 . 
         [0081]    For soft repair operations, when the memory control module  112  detects a memory failure, the memory repair module  110  may store the memory failure information in the memory repair sub-circuit  113 . Further, the memory repair module  110  may locate an alternative memory location (i.e. a redundant memory element). The memory repair module  110  may then store the redundant memory element information in the memory repair sub-circuit  113 . 
         [0082]    The information stored in the memory repair sub-circuit  113  may be lost when the system  100  is powered down. When the system  100  is subsequently powered on, the memory repair module  110  may again detect memory failures, locate redundant memory elements  105 , and store the information in the memory repair sub-circuit  113 . The memory repair module  110  may repeat this procedure at each power up. Alternatively, the memory repair sub-circuit  113  may retain the information by storing it in embedded memory (for example, flash memory) or by blowing reversible fuses. 
         [0083]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5 ,  6 A, and  6 B, as an illustrative example, memory  104  includes an array of A rows and B columns (A×B cells) and may have X redundant rows and Y redundant columns. The redundant rows and columns may be collectively referred to as redundant memory elements  105 , as in  FIG. 3 .  FIG. 6A  includes eight rows  142 - 1 ,  142 - 2 , . . . , and  142 - 8 ; eight columns  144 - 1 ,  144 - 2 , . . . , and  144 - 8 , two redundant rows  146 - 1 ,  146 - 2 , and two redundant columns  148 - 1 ,  148 - 2 . The two redundant rows  146 - 1 ,  146 - 2 , and two redundant columns  148 - 1 ,  148 - 2  are merely exemplary. There may be only six placement/solution combinations for data within the four redundant elements  146 - 1 ,  146 - 2 ,  148 - 1 ,  148 - 2 , as seen in the chart  150  of  FIG. 5  and discussed above. The memory repair module  110  may use any or all of combinations  1 - 6  as illustrated for soft repairs on the memory  104 . Each of the combinations may include a sequence for which substitutions will be made for the soft repairs. As mentioned, the combination index sub-module  129  includes information relating to the solution combinations. An alternative repair sequence may be used if the memory repair module  110  detects long term failure in the memory  104  that may not be repaired by one of the combinations in  FIG. 5 . The alternative repair sequence may include replacing rows and columns in orders other than those illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0084]    In  FIGS. 6A and 6B , a first failure  160  may occur at the intersection of row  142 - 1  and column  144 - 2 . The memory repair module  110  may set the memory repair sub-circuit  113  according to the first combination. The memory repair module  110  may thus substitute redundant row  146 - 1  for row  142 - 1  undergoing testing in response to the failure  160 . In other words, when the memory  104  is written/read, cell  162  (at the intersection of row  146 - 1  and column  144 - 2 ) is used in place of the cell having the failure  160 . Because the entire row  142 - 1  containing the failure  160  is replaced, other failures that may be present in the row  142 - 1  may also be repaired by this substitution operation. 
         [0085]    Referring now to  FIGS. 6C and 6D , the memory repair module  110  continues to evaluate read data from the memory  104  until a second failure  166  is encountered at, for example, the intersection of row  142 - 2  and column  144 - 5 ). The memory repair module  110  may substitute redundant row  146 - 2  for row  142 - 2  in response to the second failure  166 . Therefore, when the memory  104  is written/read, cell  168  (at the intersection of row  146 - 2  and column  144 - 5 ) is used in place of the cell having the failure  166 . 
         [0086]    Referring now to  FIGS. 6E and 6F , the memory repair module  110  continues to evaluate read data from the memory  104  until a third failure  170  is encountered at, for example, the intersection of row  142 - 4  and column  144 - 3 ). The memory repair module  110  may substitute a redundant column  148 - 1  for the column  144 - 3  in response to the third failure  170 . Therefore, when the memory  104  is written/read, cell  172  (at the intersection of row  142 - 4  and column  148 - 1 ) is used in place of the cell having the failure  170 . 
         [0087]    Referring now to  FIGS. 6G and 6H , the memory repair module  110  continues to evaluate read data from the memory  104  until a fourth failure  174  is encountered at, for example, the intersection of row  142 - 5  and column  144 - 4 ). The memory repair module  110  may substitute a redundant column  148 - 2  for the column  144 - 4  in response to the fourth failure  174 . Therefore, when the memory  104  is written/read, cell  176  (at the intersection of row  142 - 5  and column  148 - 2 ) is used in place of the cell having the failure  174 . 
         [0088]    Referring now to  FIG. 6I , the memory repair module  110  may determine that the first combination of the chart  150  will not resolve failures in the memory  104  based on discovery of a fifth failure  180 . The memory repair module  110  may then initialize the memory repair database and use the second combination that includes, according to the chart  150  of  FIG. 5 , sequentially replacing a row, a column, a row, and a column. 
         [0089]    Referring now to  FIGS. 6J-6K , the memory repair module  110  may test the memory from the start of the array and replace failures according to the second combination. The memory repair module  110  may thus substitute redundant row  146 - 1  for row  142 - 1  undergoing testing in response to the first failure  160 . In other words, when the memory  104  is written/read, cell  162  (at the intersection of row  146 - 1  and column  144 - 2 ) is used in place of the cell having the failure  160 . 
         [0090]    Referring now to  FIG. 6L , a second failure  166  may be detected at the intersection of row  142 - 2  and column  144 - 5 . The memory repair module  110  may replace the column  144 - 5  with a redundant column  148 - 1  so that the cell  187  at the intersection of row  142 - 2  and column  144 - 5  substitutes for the cell including the failure  166 . Further, for the third and fourth failures, the memory repair module  110  may replace a row and a column respectively. If third and/or fourth failures are not found, the memory repair module  110  may determine that the second combination is the correct combination for repairing the memory. 
         [0091]    The memory repair module  110  may determine that the second combination of the chart  150  will not resolve failures in the memory  104  based on discovery of a fifth failure. The memory repair module  110  may then initialize the memory repair sub-circuit  113  and use the third combination. The memory repair module  110  may replace a row, a column, a column, and a row respectively, according to the chart  150  of  FIG. 5 . 
         [0092]    The memory repair module  110  may likewise initialize the memory repair sub-circuit  113  and use combinations four through six in response to successive failures found when redundant elements are utilized. The memory repair module  110  may determine that the memory  104  is not repairable if none of the combinations resolve all memory failures. In the present example, there may be six options for redundancy placement, thus, a maximum of only six runs may be made to test and repair the memory  104 . In contrast, previous memory repair methods used heuristic repair algorithms that were limited to single repair path and would not have reset a memory repair sub-circuit  113  for subsequent combinations/solutions. 
         [0093]    The memory repair module  110  may generate a partial log for failures occurring during soft fixing operations and while testing. If repair operations will not use all repair resources, the unused redundant rows/columns of the memory  104  may store information regarding the valid redundant row/column, to be used during the functional life of the memory  104  during boot-up/power-up sequences. The memory repair module  110  may repair the memory  104  during a power-up sequence with soft repair operations and interrupt the system or any start-up operations if the memory  104  is not fixed or not fixable. 
         [0094]    Alternatively, the memory repair module  110  may only include one combination. For example, memory  104  may include two memory blanks/blocks and one redundant memory bank/block (instead of the previously discussed row/column solutions). The memory repair module  110  may use the combination to soft repair a first failure in the memory banks by replacing the respective memory bank including the failure. If subsequent failures are found, the memory  104  may be determined to be unrepairable. Otherwise, the memory  104  is hard repaired according to the combination. This example may also be extended for memory  104  that includes only redundant rows or only redundant columns where there may be only one repair combination. 
         [0095]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , a flow diagram  188  illustrates steps for operating a memory repair module. Control starts in step  189 , and in step  190 , the memory repair module  110  tests the memory  104  for failures. In step  191 , the memory repair module  110  detects a first failure. The memory repair module  110  then sequentially repairs the memory  104  according to repair combinations. 
         [0096]    In step  192 , the current repair combination, which may be a first, second, third, etc. repair combination (for example, combinations as in  FIG. 5 ), is used to repair the failure. In other words, the combination includes a number of sequences for which redundant memory elements substitute for non-redundant memory elements. There may be one or more combinations of substitutions. 
         [0097]    In step  193 , if the memory repair module  110  does not detect another failure, the memory repair module  110  may assume the memory  104  is repaired in step  194 . If another failure is detected in step  193 , then in step  195 , the memory repair module  110  determines whether all substitutions of redundant elements for the current combination have been made according to a repair substitution method (for example, one or more rows of the chart of  FIG. 5 ). If step  195  is false, the next failure is repaired according to the current combination in step  192 , and control returns to step  193  where the next failure of the current combination is used. All options of a repair substitution method are tried in steps  192 ,  193 , and  195  until the memory is repaired or failed. If failed, then a repair substitution method for a next combination is tried in step  198 . 
         [0098]    If step  195  is true, and if all combinations have been tried in step  197 , and there still is a failure, then the memory repair module  110  determines that the memory  104  is not repairable in step  199 . If step  197  is false, substitutions made for previous combinations may be initialized. Further, testing may return to the start of the memory  104 , and the substitution recipe of the next sequential combination may be used to repair the memory  104  in step  198 . 
         [0099]    Referring now to  FIG. 8A , steps performed by the memory control module  112  to implement a memory repair method  200  are shown. The memory repair method starts in step  226  where the memory control module  112  reads/writes from the memory  104 . The memory repair module  110  may monitor the memory  104  for failures. If a first failure is found, a testing method starts according to the first combination found in chart  150 . If a failure is detected in step  228 , the failure number from the chart  150  is incremented in step  230 ; and the memory  104  is repaired according to the failure number and the combination number in step  232 . However, if the failure number is greater than the number of possible substitutions (failure numbers) in the current combination in step  234 , the combination number is incremented by one in step  236 . If in step  238  the combination number is greater than the total number of combinations, the array is found not repairable in step  240 . Otherwise, in step  241 , the memory array is repaired according to the current fail number and combination number, and the memory control module  112  starts testing again according to step  226 . 
         [0100]    Following step  232 , testing continues in step  242 . If no failure is detected in step  228 , and step  243  determines that testing operations are not completed, testing continues in step  226 . If step  243  determines testing is completed, step  244  determines whether a hard repair is required. If step  244  is true, the memory  104  is hard repaired in step  246 . The memory  104  is tested in step  248 . If the memory  104  passes testing in step  250 , the memory  104  is determined to be repaired in step  252 . If step  250  is false, step  240  determines that the memory  104  is not repairable. For example, a system fault flag may be generated to notify the system and/or user that the system has a non-recoverable memory failure condition. 
         [0101]    Referring now to  FIG. 8B , steps performed by the memory control module  112  to implement a memory repair method  260  using a hybrid repair module are shown. The memory repair method starts in step  262  where the memory control module  112  reads/writes from the memory  104 . The memory repair module  110  may monitor the memory  104  for failures. If a first failure is found, a testing method starts according to the first combination found in chart  150 . If a failure is detected in step  264 , the failure number from the chart  150  is incremented in step  266 ; and the memory  104  is repaired according to the failure number and the combination number in step  268 . The memory repairs may be conducted through use of reversible fuses. However, if the failure number is greater than the number of possible substitutions (failure numbers) in the current combination in step  270 , the combination number is incremented by one in step  272 . If in step  274  the combination number is greater than the total number of combinations, the array is found not repairable in step  276 . Otherwise, in step  268 , the memory array is repaired according to the current fail number and combination number. Following step  268 , testing continues in step  262 . If no failure is detected in step  264 , and step  278  determines that testing operations are not completed, testing continues in step  262 . If step  278  determines testing is completed, the memory  104  may be retested in step  280 . If the memory  104  passes testing in step  282 , the memory  104  is determined to be repaired in step  284 . If step  282  is false, step  276  determines that the memory  104  is not repairable. 
         [0102]    The present disclosure can be applied to any memory technology that implements addressed memory locations. For example, the present invention can be applied to memory technologies including, but not limited to, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), read only memory (ROM), programmable read only memory (PROM), electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), and/or flash memory, as well as any derivative of the above memory technologies, such as fast cycle RAM (FCRAM). 
         [0103]    Referring now to  FIGS. 9A-9G , various exemplary implementations incorporating the teachings of the present disclosure are shown. Referring now to  FIG. 9A , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in nonvolatile memory of a hard disk drive (HDD)  300 . The HDD  300  includes a hard disk assembly (HDA)  301  and an HDD printed circuit board (PCB)  302 . The HDA  301  may include a magnetic medium  303 , such as one or more platters that store data, and a read/write device  304 . The read/write device  304  may be arranged on an actuator arm  305  and may read and write data on the magnetic medium  303 . Additionally, the HDA  301  includes a spindle motor  306  that rotates the magnetic medium  303  and a voice-coil motor (VCM)  307  that actuates the actuator arm  305 . A preamplifier device  308  amplifies signals generated by the read/write device  304  during read operations and provides signals to the read/write device  304  during write operations. 
         [0104]    The HDD PCB  302  includes a read/write channel module (hereinafter, “read channel”)  309 , a hard disk controller (HDC) module  310 , a buffer  311 , the nonvolatile memory  312 , a processor  313 , and a spindle/VCM driver module  314 . The read channel  309  processes data received from and transmitted to the preamplifier device  308 . The HDC module  310  controls components of the HDA  301  and communicates with an external device (not shown) via an I/O interface  315 . The external device may include a computer, a multimedia device, a mobile computing device, etc. The I/O interface  315  may include wireline and/or wireless communication links. 
         [0105]    The HDC module  310  may receive data from the HDA  301 , the read channel  309 , the buffer  311 , nonvolatile memory  312 , the processor  313 , the spindle/VCM driver module  314 , and/or the I/O interface  315 . The processor  313  may process the data, including encoding, decoding, filtering, and/or formatting. The processed data may be output to the HDA  301 , the read channel  309 , the buffer  311 , nonvolatile memory  312 , the processor  313 , the spindle/VCM driver module  314 , and/or the I/O interface  315 . 
         [0106]    The HDC module  310  may use the buffer  311  and/or nonvolatile memory  312  to store data related to the control and operation of the HDD  300 . The buffer  311  may include DRAM, SDRAM, etc. The nonvolatile memory  312  may include flash memory (including NAND and NOR flash memory), phase change memory, magnetic RAM, or multi-state memory, in which each memory cell has more than two states. The spindle/VCM driver module  314  controls the spindle motor  306  and the VCM  307 . The HDD PCB  302  includes a power supply  316  that provides power to the components of the HDD  300 . 
         [0107]    Referring now to  FIG. 9B , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in nonvolatile memory of a DVD drive  318  or of a CD drive (not shown). The DVD drive  318  includes a DVD PCB  319  and a DVD assembly (DVDA)  320 . The DVD PCB  319  includes a DVD control module  321 , a buffer  322 , the nonvolatile memory  323 , a processor  324 , a spindle/FM (feed motor) driver module  325 , an analog front-end module  326 , a write strategy module  327 , and a DSP module  328 . 
         [0108]    The DVD control module  321  controls components of the DVDA  320  and communicates with an external device (not shown) via an I/O interface  329 . The external device may include a computer, a multimedia device, a mobile computing device, etc. The I/O interface  329  may include wireline and/or wireless communication links. 
         [0109]    The DVD control module  321  may receive data from the buffer  322 , nonvolatile memory  323 , the processor  324 , the spindle/FM driver module  325 , the analog front-end module  326 , the write strategy module  327 , the DSP module  328 , and/or the I/O interface  329 . The processor  324  may process the data, including encoding, decoding, filtering, and/or formatting. The DSP module  328  performs signal processing, such as video and/or audio coding/decoding. The processed data may be output to the buffer  322 , nonvolatile memory  323 , the processor  324 , the spindle/FM driver module  325 , the analog front-end module  326 , the write strategy module  327 , the DSP module  328 , and/or the I/O interface  329 . 
         [0110]    The DVD control module  321  may use the buffer  322  and/or nonvolatile memory  323  to store data related to the control and operation of the DVD drive  318 . The buffer  322  may include DRAM, SDRAM, etc. The nonvolatile memory  323  may include flash memory (including NAND and NOR flash memory), phase change memory, magnetic RAM, or multi-state memory, in which each memory cell has more than two states. The DVD PCB  319  includes a power supply  330  that provides power to the components of the DVD drive  318 . 
         [0111]    The DVDA  320  may include a preamplifier device  331 , a laser driver  332 , and an optical device  333 , which may be an optical read/write (ORW) device or an optical read-only (OR) device. A spindle motor  334  rotates an optical storage medium  335 , and a feed motor  336  actuates the optical device  333  relative to the optical storage medium  335 . 
         [0112]    When reading data from the optical storage medium  335 , the laser driver provides a read power to the optical device  333 . The optical device  333  detects data from the optical storage medium  335 , and transmits the data to the preamplifier device  331 . The analog front-end module  326  receives data from the preamplifier device  331  and performs such functions as filtering and A/D conversion. To write to the optical storage medium  335 , the write strategy module  327  transmits power level and timing data to the laser driver  332 . The laser driver  332  controls the optical device  333  to write data to the optical storage medium  335 . 
         [0113]    Referring now to  FIG. 9C , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in memory of a high definition television (HDTV)  337 . The HDTV  337  includes an HDTV control module  338 , a display  339 , a power supply  340 , the memory  341 , a storage device  342 , a network interface  343 , and an external interface  345 . If the network interface  343  includes a wireless local area network interface, an antenna (not shown) may be included. 
         [0114]    The HDTV  337  can receive input signals from the network interface  343  and/or the external interface  345 , which can send and receive data via cable, broadband Internet, and/or satellite. The HDTV control module  338  may process the input signals, including encoding, decoding, filtering, and/or formatting, and generate output signals. The output signals may be communicated to one or more of the display  339 , memory  341 , the storage device  342 , the network interface  343 , and the external interface  345 . 
         [0115]    Memory  341  may include random access memory (RAM) and/or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory, phase change memory, or multi-state memory, in which each memory cell has more than two states. The storage device  342  may include an optical storage drive, such as a DVD drive, and/or a hard disk drive (HDD). The HDTV control module  338  communicates externally via the network interface  343  and/or the external interface  345 . The power supply  340  provides power to the components of the HDTV  337 . 
         [0116]    Referring now to  FIG. 9D , the teachings of the disclosure may be implemented in memory of a vehicle  346 . The vehicle  346  may include a vehicle control system  347 , a power supply  348 , the memory  349 , a storage device  350 , and a network interface  352 . If the network interface  352  includes a wireless local area network interface, an antenna (not shown) may be included. The vehicle control system  347  may be a powertrain control system, a body control system, an entertainment control system, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), a navigation system, a telematics system, a lane departure system, an adaptive cruise control system, etc. 
         [0117]    The vehicle control system  347  may communicate with one or more sensors  354  and generate one or more output signals  356 . The sensors  354  may include temperature sensors, acceleration sensors, pressure sensors, rotational sensors, airflow sensors, etc. The output signals  356  may control engine operating parameters, transmission operating parameters, suspension parameters, etc. 
         [0118]    The power supply  348  provides power to the components of the vehicle  346 . The vehicle control system  347  may store data in memory  349  and/or the storage device  350 . Memory  349  may include random access memory (RAM) and/or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory, phase change memory, or multi-state memory, in which each memory cell has more than two states. The storage device  350  may include an optical storage drive, such as a DVD drive, and/or a hard disk drive (HDD). The vehicle control system  347  may communicate externally using the network interface  352 . 
         [0119]    Referring now to  FIG. 9E , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in memory of a cellular phone  358 . The cellular phone  358  includes a phone control module  360 , a power supply  362 , the memory  364 , a storage device  366 , and a cellular network interface  367 . The cellular phone  358  may include a network interface  368 , a microphone  370 , an audio output  372  such as a speaker and/or output jack, a display  374 , and a user input device  376  such as a keypad and/or pointing device. If the network interface  368  includes a wireless local area network interface, an antenna (not shown) may be included. 
         [0120]    The phone control module  360  may receive input signals from the cellular network interface  367 , the network interface  368 , the microphone  370 , and/or the user input device  376 . The phone control module  360  may process signals, including encoding, decoding, filtering, and/or formatting, and generate output signals. The output signals may be communicated to one or more of memory  364 , the storage device  366 , the cellular network interface  367 , the network interface  368 , and the audio output  372 . 
         [0121]    Memory  364  may include random access memory (RAM) and/or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory, phase change memory, or multi-state memory, in which each memory cell has more than two states. The storage device  366  may include an optical storage drive, such as a DVD drive, and/or a hard disk drive (HDD). The power supply  362  provides power to the components of the cellular phone  358 . 
         [0122]    Referring now to  FIG. 9F , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in memory of a set top box  378 . The set top box  378  includes a set top control module  380 , a display  381 , a power supply  382 , the memory  383 , a storage device  384 , and a network interface  385 . If the network interface  385  includes a wireless local area network interface, an antenna (not shown) may be included. 
         [0123]    The set top control module  380  may receive input signals from the network interface  385  and an external interface  387 , which can send and receive data via cable, broadband Internet, and/or satellite. The set top control module  380  may process signals, including encoding, decoding, filtering, and/or formatting, and generate output signals. The output signals may include audio and/or video signals in standard and/or high definition formats. The output signals may be communicated to the network interface  385  and/or to the display  381 . The display  381  may include a television, a projector, and/or a monitor. 
         [0124]    The power supply  382  provides power to the components of the set top box  378 . Memory  383  may include random access memory (RAM) and/or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory, phase change memory, or multi-state memory, in which each memory cell has more than two states. The storage device  384  may include an optical storage drive, such as a DVD drive, and/or a hard disk drive (HDD). 
         [0125]    Referring now to  FIG. 9G , the teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in memory of a mobile device  389 . The mobile device  389  may include a mobile device control module  390 , a power supply  391 , the memory  392 , a storage device  393 , a network interface  394 , and an external interface  399 . If the network interface  394  includes a wireless local area network interface, an antenna (not shown) may be included. 
         [0126]    The mobile device control module  390  may receive input signals from the network interface  394  and/or the external interface  399 . The external interface  399  may include USB, infrared, and/or Ethernet. The input signals may include compressed audio and/or video, and may be compliant with the MP3 format. Additionally, the mobile device control module  390  may receive input from a user input  396  such as a keypad, touchpad, or individual buttons. The mobile device control module  390  may process input signals, including encoding, decoding, filtering, and/or formatting, and generate output signals. 
         [0127]    The mobile device control module  390  may output audio signals to an audio output  397  and video signals to a display  398 . The audio output  397  may include a speaker and/or an output jack. The display  398  may present a graphical user interface, which may include menus, icons, etc. The power supply  391  provides power to the components of the mobile device  389 . Memory  392  may include random access memory (RAM) and/or nonvolatile memory such as flash memory, phase change memory, or multi-state memory, in which each memory cell has more than two states. The storage device  393  may include an optical storage drive, such as a DVD drive, and/or a hard disk drive (HDD). The mobile device may include a personal digital assistant, a media player, a laptop computer, a gaming console, or other mobile computing device. 
         [0128]    Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims.

Technology Category: 3