From ASICs to SOCs: A Practical Approach

2.1. Introduction

ASICs are logic chips designed by end customers to perform a specific function for a desired application. ASIC vendors supply libraries for each technology they provide. In most cases, these libraries contain predesigned and preverified logic circuits.

Several ASIC technologies exist. These are mainly gate array, standard cell, and full custom. Some features of these ASIC technologies are summarized in Table 2.1.

See reference 3 for more details on these technologies. Typical features of ASIC devices with specific technologies that are provided by ASIC vendors are:

• AC characteristics— AC characteristics, or propagation delay time (t_pd), are specified for minimum, typical, and maximum values. These values are determined by wiring ...