SoC

COMPUTERS have great importance in the world today. Since the beginning (first generation), computer was invented mainly to help human to process complex computational/calculation. Type or classes of computer are also becoming more specific especially referring to its function, such as mobile phones, multimedia player, video games, control system. They can also considered as computer because of its function. Any device capable of processing information to produce a desire result can be considered as computer. No matter how large or small they are, computers typically perform their work in three well-defined steps: (1) accepting input, (2) processing the input according to predefined rules (programs), and (3) producing output. There are several ways to categorize computers, including class (ranging from microcomputers to supercomputers), generation (first through fifth generation), and mode of processing (analog versus digital) [1].
Computing design techniques, materials, strategies and tools has undergone vast changes at an incredible rate since the first generation of computer era (ENIAC). In the 90’s decade, taking a natural advantage of the Very Large Scale Integration VLSI and Electronic Design Automation (EDA), a phenomenon came out revolutionizing the traditional way of designing and prototyping hardware systems. Such phenomenon is usually called Systems-on-Chip, commonly designated by SoCs.
The term system-on-chip is generally related to computing devices that can incorporate in one single chip with the functionality of several general purpose or application specific chips. Basically, this technique aims to throw into a common chip the functionality of several of those chips. In order to achieve this goal, design, verific...

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...plicated and time consuming process. This is because integrating a lot of chip into a single chip will certainly increasing the complexity of SoC design itself. Complexity is also considered as the most fundamental characteristic of an SoC. A memory chip may have many transistors, but its regular structure makes it a component and not a system.
Type of components that assembled on the SoC varies with the application. Many SoCs contain analog and mixed-signal circuitry for input/output (I/O). Although some high-performance I/O applications require a separate analog interface chip that serves as a companion to a digital SoC, most of an SoC is digital because that is the only way to build such complex functions reliably. The system may contain memory, instruction-set processors (central processing units [CPUs]), specialized logic, busses, and other digital functions.