System-on-a-Chip

SoC

System-on-a-Chip (SoC) technology is the packaging of all the necessary electronic circuits and parts for a "system" (such as a cell phone or digital camera) on a single integrated circuit (IC), generally known as a microchip. For example, a system-on-a-chip for a sound-detecting device might include an audio receiver, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC ), a microprocessor, necessary memory, and the input/output logic control for a user - all on a single microchip.

System-on-a-chip technology is used in small, increasingly complex consumer electronic devices. Some such devices have more processing power and memory than a typical 10-year-old desktop computer. In the future, SoC-equipped nano robot s (robots of microscopic dimensions) might act as programmable antibodies to fend off previously incurable diseases. SoC video devices might be embedded in the brains of blind people, allowing them to see; SoC audio devices might allow deaf people to hear. Handheld computers with small whip antennas might someday be capable of browsing the Internet at megabit-per-second speeds from any point on the surface of the earth.

SoC is evolving along with other technologies such as silicon-on-insulator (SOI), which can provide increased clock speeds while reducing the power consumed by a microchip.

SoC (system-on-a-chip) testing is the testing of system-on-a-chip (SoC) devices. Testing them becomes an increasing challenge as these devices become more complex. An SoC design is typically built block by block; efficient testing is also best done block by block. Today, designers can install a specialized, pre-designed, configurable embedded system to test and debug each block. Using such an embedded system, a designer can specify the test speed, fault coverage, diagnostic options, and test length for testing any random logic block.

CPU Vs SoC