An apparatus and method for controlling and providing off-pitch shifting
circuitry for implementing column redundancy in a multiple-array memory
is described in connection with an on-board cache memory integrated with
a microprocessor. Depending upon the particular sub-array being accessed,
shift position data is provided to a shared, off-pitch shift circuit to
control the read and/or write operations for the memory. A register bank
stores data identifying the defective columns which is compared to the
incoming address information to detect any matches. In response to a
match, control information is provided to the off-pitch shift circuit for
shifting or re-routing the incoming data to a non-defective address in
the memory. In this way, defective columns located in different positions
in each sub-array can be replaced by redundant paths, thereby repairing
the cache and increasing the manufacturing yield of microprocessors with
an on-board cache memory.