Remember the old versions of the cellular phone? Do you remember how big they actually were? Some were even bigger than the hands of the users and longer than their faces. And that was truly inconvenient. But today, looking at all these tiny cellular phones and electronic devices, we wonder how everything important is stored into that very small space. Thanks to the System on Chip design or SOC.
What Is SOC Design?
SOC or System on Chip design is basically an integrated circuit (IC) that puts together in a single small chip all the components of a computer or any other electronic device. Its single chip substrate contains analog, digital, a mix of analog and digital, as well as radio-frequency (RF) signals. In the field of mobile electronics, the SOC is very useful because its power consumption is very low.
How Is It Comparable To The Microcontroller?
The microcontroller, by itself, is a single-chip-system. However, the
SOC applies to more powerful processors that can run desktop versions of windows and even Linux.
What Does The SOC Contain?
1. Microcontroller, microprocessor, or DSP. These include more than just one processor core.
2. It also includes ADCs and DACs, which are analog interfaces.
3. Oscillators and phase-locked loops, which are examples of timing sources.
4. It also has peripherals, which include real-time timers, power-on reset generators, as well as counter-timers.
5. There are also external interfaces like USB, FireWire, Ethernet, USART, and SPI.
What Are The Challenges Of Using The SOC Design?
Though the technology has been proven useful and effective for today's modern world, helping users live conveniently, there are also many challenges that face the developers of the SOC design. Among these are:
- SOC testability. It is difficult and challenging to have a test set because developers need to add complex Ips and the demand to test that IP in isolation that comes with it.
- The increasing number of sources of process variation that need some managing.
- RC Delay Management and Optimization. This is otherwise called 'managing your metal set'. This is about being able to pick out the right metal stack.
What Are The Advantages Of Using The SOC Design?
The truth is you can name a lot of advantages of using the SOC design such as increased efficiency of your electronic device. But the most important and most practical of all would perhaps be the convenience of bringing everything that your computer has, in a small device that works faster and more efficiently than the original bulky one.
Thanks to developers of the SOC design, we are all able to enjoy the goodness that an SOC design brings.
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SOC,SOC Design