Memory authentication

A method for authenticating a memory device, comprising:

• storing, in an array of programmable elements, information to be broadcast to a number of memory components of the memory device;
• during a broadcast of the stored information to the number of memory components, capturing at least a portion of the stored information, wherein the stored information comprises repair address information corresponding to defective addresses of the memory device;
• determining a first authentication code based on the captured information;
• storing the first authentication code in a register of the memory device;
• providing a second authentication code to the memory device;
• comparing the first authentication code to the second authentication code, wherein the second authentication code is based on the stored information in the array of programmable elements;
• and
• determining a characteristic of the memory device based at least in part on comparing the first authentication code to the second authentication code.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a plurality of memory devices;
• and
• a controller configured to initiate a memory device to memory device authentication procedure that comprises:
• providing a first authentication request from a first memory device to a second memory device;
• responsive to receiving, at the first memory device, a verified response to the first authentication request from the second memory device, storing, in the first memory device, an authentication status indicating that the second memory device is authentic;
• and
• responsive to receiving, at the first memory device, a non-verified response or no response to the first authentication request from the second memory device, storing, in the first memory device, an authentication status indicating that the second memory device is not authentic, wherein the verified response and the non-verified response are based on a comparison of a first authentication code, determined from captured information, to a second authentication code stored in a register of the second memory device, and wherein the captured information comprises repair address information corresponding to defective addresses of the memory device and wherein the captured information was previously stored at and broadcasted from an array of programmable elements;
• for each one of a remaining number of memory devices of the plurality of memory devices:
• providing an authentication request to the memory device;
• and
• storing, in the memory device that provides the authentication request, an indication of an authentication status of the memory device to which the authentication request is provided, wherein the authentication status is based on whether or not the memory device that provides the authentication request receives a verified response from the memory device to which the authentication request is provided;
• and
• wherein the controller is configured to determine an authentication status of the plurality of memory devices based on the authentication statuses stored in the plurality of memory devices.