Information you can put straight to work!

ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) and SOCs (Systems On a Chip) are among the hottest topics in semiconductor chip design today. If you're a front-end or back-end chip designer looking to learn the latest techniques and methodologies, this book is for you.

From ASICs to SOCs: A Practical Approach explains ASIC and SOC design and verification for the real world-by covering the same issues and dilemmas you'll face on the job! An emphasis on techniques and principles over the particulars of design tools gives you a deeper understanding of the material and will make you much more effective in your work, regardless which tools you use. Topics include:

• Methodologies and design flows for front-end and back-end designs
• Tips and guidelines for front-end and back-end designs
• Modern physical design techniques
• Integration of IPs on SOC designs
• Low-power design techniques and methodologies
• VOIP (Voice over IP) and STB (Set-Top Box) SOC design examples

With content centering on practical and current information and techniques, From ASICs to SOCs: A Practical Approach is intended for self-study by practical ASIC and SOC engineers. It also makes an excellent reference book for graduate students in electrical engineering.

Semiconductors (chips) are the guts of all electronic systems and products from PDAs to supercomputers. An ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) is a chip designed for a special application, such as a particular kind of transmission protocol (CDMA) or a hand-held computer. SOCs (System on a Chip) are the latest advancement in chip design and take ASICs one step further. SOCs place nearly all hardware components (memory, input/output, processor core, etc.) on a single chip. ASICs (and now SOCs) are in everything from airplanes to toasters and the demand for skilled chip designers has increased. IBM remains one of the world's largest chip manufacturers and semiconductors are the second largest growth market in technology, only telecommunications is bigger. This book takes chip designers and engineers through the design process and points out what's hot today, what will be hot tomorrow, and how to design in a step-by-step format. Described in the book are the practical aspects of ASIC and SOC design. It covers the on-the-job issues that designers face. This book will emphasize the principles and techniques involved in ASIC/SOC design instead of the specific tools used. It lays out the fundamental techniques for design and verification through case studies and step-by-step coverage that reflects the current issues challenging designers.