System-On-A-Chip(SOC)

Advancements in SOC Design and Architecture

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One of the essential technologies continuing to advance in the field of electronics is the System-on-Chip or SOC. In fact, it has become essential for computational devices that are smaller, faster, and cheaper to work while using less power.

Today, more than ever, the use of SOCs has become common in mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers, among other gadgets for daily use. Portable devices like digital or smart watches, GPS navigation devices, and netbooks also use SOCs architecture embedded into the system.

What is SOC?

As the name suggests, SOC or system on chip has all the necessary electronic circuits to cause a fully functional system on a single integrated circuit. Thus, it only needs one chip to put all the analog inputs and outputs, CPU, internal memory, I/O ports, and the added application-specific circuit blocks.

These are different from PC architecture and traditional devices in which a separate chip is used in essential functional components, as well as the CPU, GPU, and RAM.

The development of SOCs depends on which device they are designed for. SOCs on smartphones and other related devices, for instance, might use cellular networks or Wi-Fi modems.

Advancements in the Industry

The advancements of SOCs in the industry are possible with the use of architecture description languages (ADLs). This is a popular processor modeling approach used for retargetable compilation, DSP tools, and SOC design.

ArchC

  • This is an open-source mixed ADL that can generate a processor-simulator that supports multiple abstraction levels. The simulator can be cycle-accurate or instruction accurate with complete pipeline behavior.

ArchC is able to generate a simulator using SystemC which is widely getting recognition all over the modeling world.

LISA

  • This is a mixed ADL that has no problem modeling SIMD, MIMD, and VLIW architectures, as well as complex pipelines and multi-threading. LISATek is the tool suite generated from the LISA machine descriptions. It can capture the path explicitly, which is an important aspect of the LISA language.

Bluespec

  • This is a rule-based language that describes computation as a series of changes in its atomic state. This expression will considerably simplify the design, increase the efficacy of the designer, and be automatically checked by the compiler.

Bluespec does not specifically aim to design processors but it mainly simplifies complex digital circuit designs. Thus, it simplifies modeling complex processor components considerably in comparison with RTL languages.

Model Driven Architecture (MDA)

  • This uses the Unified Modeling Language (UML) to develop models regardless of the implementation platform. MDA ensures that the executable software architecture creation is driven by model formulation instead of writing the source code manually.

Recently, MDA has been useful for SOC modeling. Designers start to create a model at a high level of abstraction. Then, they transform it into models at gradually lower levels of abstraction until they attain source code.

As the processor’s architecture increases in complexity, designers utilize high-level modeling tools and language. Thus, the use of ADL, extensible architecture and UML design solutions address a class of processors and each has been optimized for that class.

Learn more at LinearMicroSystems.com.

Linear MicroSystems, Inc. is proud to offer its services worldwide as well as the surrounding areas and cities around our Headquarters in Irvine, CA: Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Anaheim, Orange County, Fullerton, and Los Angeles.

MicroSystems

Linear MicroSystems and Thought Leadership

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Every company strives to be the best for its customers. From industry innovation to establishing brand authority, every company wants to make the world a better place in some way.

At Linear MicroSystems, this desire is no different. Not only do we focus on making the best RF, Analog, and Mixed-Signal ASICs, but we’re constantly working on our thought leadership.

Who is Linear MicroSystems?

Linear MicroSystems, Inc. (LMI) is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in ASICs and SOCs. These can be sued for analog, digital, RF, and mixed-signal applications. With two decades of experience, our team is considered an authority in the industry. We’re proud to be known as a one-stop shop for every customer’s ASIC requirement.

What makes us different is that we’re the only source for both the development and production of your ASIC products. Our team takes care of everything from brainstorming to quality assurance, so you don’t have to.

MicroSystems and thought leadership

Thought leadership is a method where insights, experience, and expertise on an industry topic are shared via website content and copy.

The primary goal of thought leadership is to offer value to readers. So, they learn more about the industry, build trust with a brand and understand company practices.

The idea is to bring in experts to discuss topics they know well, so consumers can better understand the industry.

While some argue that thought leadership can bring about strong opinions, it can be very useful if curated properly.

At Linear MicroSystems we put a lot of value in the success stories of our loyal customers. We take a lot of pride in being one of the more innovative companies in the ASIC industry today.

As a company, we value the knowledge our experts have and are constantly working to produce valuable content to help share this with the world.

There are also many other benefits to using thought leadership in a company. According to Tim Gibbon, Founder, and Director of Elemental Communications: “There is also a strong cooperative element, with thought leadership allowing peers to collaborate, and share experiences, expertise, and knowledge.”

Final thoughts

Being one of the leaders in the ASIC market, Linear MicroSystems continues to work hard in offering the best service to its customers through methods like thought leadership that help leverage the brand as an authority in the industry while providing value to customers.

Linear MicroSystems, Inc. is proud to offer its services worldwide as well as the surrounding areas and cities around our Headquarters in Irvine, CA: Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Anaheim, Orange County, Fullerton, and Los Angeles.

system on a chip

Analog Design 101

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Good analog design is one of the basic foundations of successful ASIC production and circuit design. But if you’re a consumer, you might not fully understand what it really means and how it can benefit you. Here’s everything you need to know about it:

Analog design: An overview

So, what exactly is analog design? It is the process of creating circuits that are then used for different applications requiring continuous time-domain behavior.

All devices using integrated circuit design require analog design. So, this is why it plays a crucial role in the creation of circuits and processors for different applications.

The nitty-gritty of analog design

Components

Analog design consists of different components including:

Resistor.

  • This component works by converting electrical current to electrical voltage or the other way around. From its name, a resistor helps to limit current, cut-off frequencies, control amplifiers, and condition signals.

Capacitor.

  • A capacitor stores electrical energy between two metal plates to maintain a consistent ratio between charge and voltage. In analog design, a capacitor offers local access to energy and creates modifications in the dynamics of an electric signal.

Inductor.

  • An inductor mainly stores magnetic energy and offers a constant relation between the current derivative and voltage. It’s used mostly to control systems and modify signal dynamics in circuit design.

Transistor.

  • This component is a crucial part of any good analog design because it controls the amount of current that passes between two terminals through a signal that’s applied to a third terminal. Depending on its use, a metal oxide-silicon field transistor (MOSFET), bipolar junction transistor (BJT), and junction field transistor (JFET).  

Tools

There was a time when the process of analog design relied solely on handmade calculations and schematics. Although these were effective, they also posed a lot of challenges for designers, especially since there was no possibility of a simulation before the actual testing.

But it’s a different story today because designers can already rely on different tools to help make the process easy and more accurate than ever.

You’ll find schematic, simulation, and layout tools that are part of Schematic CAD (Computer-Aided Design) to help designers create designs from scratch, make proper calculations and even conduct simulations to help them create the best circuitry products in the market today.

Importance

Analog design is a very important part of good IC design, especially in ensuring these three basic qualities are met: consistency, fidelity, and performance. These three factors are strong determinants of how a circuit will perform once it’s used in real-world applications.

Conclusion

Good analog design will continue to play a pivotal role in the success of ASIC design. So, if you’re using circuits as a component of your product, it’s very important to understand this process, its benefits, and the best company to work with in ensuring that you will get the best circuits to use in different applications within your business.

Linear MicroSystems, Inc. is proud to offer its services worldwide as well as the surrounding areas and cities around our Headquarters in Irvine, CA: Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Anaheim, Orange County, Fullerton, and Los Angeles.

Mixed Signal ASIC Design

Linear MicroSystems Success Story: RF Transceiver | ASIC

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Over the years, Linear MicroSystems, Inc. has been a part of the success stories of satisfied customers. The RF transceiver is one of our most popular products that brought many successes to business in different industries.

Here, we’ll discuss RF ASIC and RF transceivers and the success stories of customers through the years:

Understanding RF ASIC

RF ASIC is a type of RF Unified Engine that improves the scanning frequency of an RF band. This allows it to offer accurate and efficient real-time analysis. Made with ASIC and RFIC chips, an RF ASIC converts RF energy into I/Q data that analyzes frequency ranges.

Understanding an RF transceiver

A radio frequency (RF) transceiver is basically a type of device that’s capable of sending and receiving radio signals. The device combines the capabilities of both a transmitter and a receiver. So, it’s used in different communication devices like computers, cellphones, walkie-talkies, and radios.

To achieve these functionalities, an RF transceiver needs specially designed circuitry allowing it to switch between transmitter and receiver.

Linear MicroSystems success stories

Being experts in the ASIC industry, we’ve worked with several clients who successfully utilized our products to perfect their own.

Features

Controller for 100G optical communications transmission

One of our success stories is a project for a client who needed a controller for 100G optical communications transmission. This system had features such as the ability to control the transmission of power laser, heaters to tune optical lasers thermally, a 12-bit accuracy pulse width (PWM) output and several 12- and 14-bit DACs.

Programmable inductive proximity control

Another successful project with a client involves a programmable inductive proximity control that featured capabilities like a high switching frequency, the ability to sense all metal targets through phase detection or combined phase shift/amplitude sending, and patented architecture.

It also includes important circuit blocks like ADC, signal modulator, oscillator, short circuit protection, SRAM and nvRAM memories, and embedded microprocessor.

RF transceiver

One of our clients requested an RF transceiver with features such as proprietary linear architecture, an 18 GHz electro-absorption modulator driver, and the capability to be a transmitter and receiver of NRZ data. It’s also dubbed as having the lowest power consumption in the industry.

Applications

The products that we’ve developed for some of our clients have been used in different applications such as:

  • Robotics
  • Industrial automation
  • Integrated photonics for 100G optical communications
  • Laser control for integrated photonics used in optical communications systems

Final thoughts

As a leader in ASIC production, Linear MicroSystems has created a wide range of products that have been used for applications in various niches throughout the world.

We take pride in the success stories of our collaborations with customers, and we continue to commit ourselves to helping customers create the best components that they will need for their own businesses.

Linear MicroSystems, Inc. is proud to offer its services worldwide as well as the surrounding areas and cities around our Headquarters in Irvine, CA: Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Anaheim, Orange County, Fullerton, and Los Angeles.

microsystem

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the World of Microsystem Manufacturing

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The presence of artificial intelligence (AI) has become quite significant in many applications. Most notably in big data analytics, facial recognition software, military equipment, and self-driving cars, among others.

What is AI?

 

AI enables machines to think. It provides the ability of the machine or software application to learn, act, and reason like human cognition. The beginning of AI goes back to the 1950s. However, recent developments in AI technology catapults the concept into new abilities and uses.

This is possible by creating sophisticated machine-learning algorithms to process huge data sets, learn from experience, and improve over time. It was in 2010 that advances in deep learning came.

That enabled the processing of a wider range of data through a certain type of machine-learning, requiring fewer data preprocessing done by human operators, and often producing more accurate results.

 

What is the role of AI in microsystem manufacturing?

 

There is a significant role of AI in the semiconductor industry due to its potential of creating huge business value. In fact, microsystem manufacturing companies investing in AI/ML are already generating value.

These are companies making notable investments in AI/ML talent, particularly in data infrastructure, technology, and other factors. They have also fully scaled up their initial use cases for that matter.

Although many are still in the pilot phase in terms of AI/ML, forecasts suggest that its application of such technology can accelerate dramatically over the next few years. If companies will take steps to scale up now, they will be able to capture the full benefits of such technologies.

 

How AI offers opportunities for microsystem companies

 

Chips intended to work with machine learning, or the neural networks called AI accelerators are expected to have a growth rate of approximately 18% per annum. This is more than 5 times the growth seen for semiconductor companies using non-AI applications. These also include areas of high growth in AI chips for the broader field of neural networks and for autonomous vehicles.

Neural networks are specialized AI algorithms working just as the human brain does. These are able to interpret sensory data and deliver patterns in huge amounts of unstructured data. Such is quite useful for facial recognition, predictive analysis, self-driving cars, and targeted marketing.

This is when microsystem manufacturing will benefit from the creation of AI accelerators and multiple inferencing chips required in the development of such AI technologies.

 

How semiconductor companies profit from AI technology

 

There are various areas of microsystem manufacturing that can benefit from the adoption of AI technology which includes but are not limited to the following.

  • High-bandwidth memory
  • High-speed interconnected hardware
  • Networking chips
  • Non-volatile memory
  • On-chip memory
  • Storage
  • Workload-specific AI accelerators

Accordingly, investment in AI technology enables chipmakers to capture their share of markets if they can meet the upcoming demand. Demand for AI will increase which brings many opportunities for the semiconductor industry but also a crisis in the acquisition of talent.

 

Learn about our semiconductor technology by visiting our products page here.

Linear MicroSystems, Inc. is proud to offer its services worldwide as well as the surrounding areas and cities around our Headquarters in Irvine, CA: Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Anaheim, Orange County, Fullerton, and Los Angeles.

RF ASICs

How to Debug a Mixed Signal SOC

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Chipmakers strictly implement verification and debugging in a typical analog and mixed signal SOC design. This is important for manufacturing companies to save billions of dollars effectively and efficiently.

 

The designs can have a huge impact on the verification cycle when they become bigger and more complex. In fact, verification engineers often face various challenges daily for the verification of modern mixed signal SOC.

 

What is a mixed signal SOC?

 

A mixed signal SOC is the integration of both analog and digital functionality within the same chip. The key in the verification process of the analog and mixed signal design is the interaction between them.

 

There can be various components within a semiconductor SOC at different levels of abstractions from different sources and languages. In the design process, there must be an integration of IPs at various levels without losing its overall design goals.

 

Thus, there should be a thorough testing of IP quality inside and outside of the SOC. Designers have a huge role during the design considering the size of SOC with multiple IPs. They must have effective debugging tools having quick and easy visualization, annotation, and navigation, among other tools to make the right decisions.

 

How do you debug a mixed signal SOC?

 

The cost of chips in the semiconductor industry is skyrocketing due to the global chip shortage, particularly in the automotive industry. The manufacture of a robust chip employs a long, iterative process that may require a lot of re-spins.

 

This is the main reason why it is very important to find and fix bugs as early as the development cycle than during the implementation wherein they can get a hundred times more expensive to fix.

 

As a result, proper verification and debugging will have fewer re-spins, faster market-to-market, lower costs, and more reliable products. But how do you debug a mixed signal SOC for that matter?

 

Here are steps to debug mixed signal SOC in an effective and efficient way to avoid certain issues:

 

  • Test bench configuration using SPICE design and Verilog-AMS model in the AMS simulation
  • Narrow down the issue in the SPICE design during the AMS simulation using the modeling approach
  • Set up the correct Connect module via the Connect Rule in the AMS simulation
  • Include the correct process corners in the SPICE simulation
  • Force/access the SPICE net from the System Verilog test bench
  • Speed up the simulation time using appropriate levels of wave dump in the SPICE simulation
  • Select the appropriate simulator with the correct speed/accuracy options for the AMS simulations
  • Use the Verilog-AMS netlist for the AMS simulations

 

Note that there are common issues encountered during the AMS simulation. AMS verification engineers can debug and verify mixed signal SOC using this guide.

 

  • Pin swapped or mismatched between analog IPs when integrated at the analog top level
  • Branch not terminated properly in a Verilog-AMS model
  • The simulation takes longer due to the large dump file size and SPICE design
  • Some domains do not show correct values because of incorrect connect module
  • Improper simulator settings leading to incorrect results
  • Mismatched digital control signals coming to the analog IPs
  • Hierarchical references in the digital test bench

Learn more about our direct work in the industry here.

Linear MicroSystems, Inc. is proud to offer its services worldwide as well as the surrounding areas and cities around our Headquarters in Irvine, CA: Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Anaheim, Orange County, Fullerton, and Los Angeles.

system on a chip

Where It All Began: The History of Microsystems and the Semiconductor Industry

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The microsystems and semiconductor industry changed the world with innovations and breakthroughs in the fields of aeronautics, automotive, manufacturing, and medicine.

 

Without this innovation, the world of modern technology will not be the same, from healthcare to cellphones to cars. Thus, the U.S. receives credit for creating the semiconductor.

 

What are Microsystems?

 

The development and manufacture of components having dimensions in the range of a micrometer is microsystem technology. Microsystems contain structures comparable to the diameter of human hair.

 

Innovative sensors and actuators play a vital role in miniaturized and distributed control systems with integrated intelligence because of the trend in automation towards faster, smaller, and more intelligent systems.

 

Microsystems are miniature devices fabricated with the use of micromachining techniques. Such is common in various areas of application, including automotive, biomedical, consumer electronics, and industrial measurements, among others.

 

Silicon materials were useful in fabricating microsystems because the processing equipment was already available in microelectronics foundries. At the same time, it was because of the thorough understanding of the properties that the impressive development of electronics made possible in the 1950s and 60s.

 

History of the U.S. Semiconductor Industry

 

The innovation and contribution of the U.S. to the world of modern technology are undeniable. In fact, its creation of the semiconductor has made a huge difference. The U.S. also continues to lead in the industry in terms of research, design, and more.

 

Everything from healthcare technology to cars to mobile phones sees an impact from the semiconductor industry. That said, the U.S. can be considered the leader in the development of technology for many years.

 

In fact, the U.S. has been leading the advancement and growth of the industry since the 1990s. The invention production of computers directly relates to the U.S. federal government investing in the industry.

 

The semiconductor industry also greatly contributed to the U.S. military. As a result, a huge initial investment in research for the industry was done in the beginning. That said, the growth of the semiconductor industry has given new opportunities overall for economic growth as well as the development of other industries.

 

In a more recent update, the U.S. continues to lead the semiconductor industry for the development and advancement of artificial intelligence and 5G technology. The semiconductor industry has indeed contributed much to the technological advancements and economic growth of the country.

 

Keeping up with the global competition

 

The competitiveness of the semiconductor industry is an important part of the economic growth and national security of the U.S. One of the things that have given a competitive edge to the country is education, as people travel from around the globe to study at American universities.

 

In addition, the manufacturing jobs in the U.S. also pay better compared to other manufacturing jobs, encouraging people to work and stay in the industry.

 

Moreover, a House bill approved in early 2021 included additional funding for the investment in the semiconductor industry. All of this sums up to stay on top of global competitiveness.

 

Learn more about our work in the industry at LinearMicrosystems.com.

Linear MicroSystems, Inc. is proud to offer its services worldwide as well as the surrounding areas and cities around our Headquarters in Irvine, CA: Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Anaheim, Orange County, Fullerton, and Los Angeles.

Microsystems

How Can I Become an Analog Design Engineer?

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Are you looking to land a job as an analog design engineer? First, it is important to understand the job description and daily tasks of the position. Moreover, you need to have a basic knowledge of analog and digital fundamentals. Successful applicants need to provide solutions to significant problems in their field of expertise.

 

What is an Analog Design Engineer?

If you are into engineering and want an exciting position working with a fabless manufacturer, analog design engineering may be the position for you. In comparison to other jobs, these engineers have a growth rate of 2% between the years 2018-2028.

 

This is according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Thus, the prediction is that by 2028 the number of open analog design engineer opportunities is around 8,000.

 

In terms of income, the profession averages $102,249 of salary per year. An engineer in this area can also earn from around $79,000 to $130,000 annual salary. Thus, it takes work to become this kind of engineer.

 

What Education Level Do I Need?

Given the job of an analog design, an engineer requires you to have the appropriate educational background to get hired.

 

  • Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with more than 10 years of experience or Master of Science in Electrical Engineering with more than 8 years of experience in designing ICs at the transistor level.
  • Strong analog or mixed-signal IC design with the use of CMOS, BiMOS, or Bipolar technology
  • Strong expertise in analog signal processing design using references, amplifiers, switch-cap, active filters, ADCs, DACs, PLLs, and oscillators. Also, he or she must have knowledge of CAD schematic capture and simulation tools.
  • Strong communications and interpersonal skills
  • Extensive knowledge of device physics and models

 

About 9% of these engineers are proficient in CMOS, IC, and RF, aside from soft skills such as initiative, interpersonal skills, and speaking skills.

 

What are the Typical Duties of an Analog Design Engineer?

An analog design engineer is inclined to refine electrical signals across an array of electronic equipment. Part of their job is designing electronic parts and integrated circuitry for analog and mixed-signal electronic equipment. Moreover, they must develop the whole integrated circuit’s lifecycle which starts from specification, circuit design, architecture development, layout supervision and test the launching of a product.

 

At the same time, this engineer must review vendor capability to support product development and inspect equipment to initiate operating data. Most of all, they must possess strong numerical skills and an understanding of signal processing and systems theory.

 

Where can I get Hired?

Nowadays, semiconductor companies are often fabless, which indicates that the company doesn’t take part in any fabrication of the product but in the designing and marketing aspects of the semiconductor chips.

 

That said, you can apply as an analog design engineer at Linear MicroSystems today. In fact, they are offering an exciting and flexible work environment, competitive salary, and generous dental and medical insurance, and extensive career growth opportunities.

 

Visit the Linear MicroSystems website to find a current job listing for an Analog/Mixed-signal design engineer.

Linear MicroSystems, Inc. is proud to offer its services worldwide as well as the surrounding areas and cities around our Headquarters in Irvine, CA: Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Anaheim, Orange County, Fullerton, and Los Angeles.

system-on-a-chip(SOC)

What Is Digital Signage and How Is System-on-a-Chip(SOC) Involved?

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Due to the rising popularity of dynamic digital content, businesses have taken advantage of the benefits of digital signage. Note that digital signage doesn’t always have to be advertisements. That said, digital signage projects require careful planning and professional execution, particularly for projects that are complex in nature. In fact, it requires new technology, like system-on-a-chip(SOC), to ensure cost-effectiveness and reliability.

 

What is Digital Signage?

Digital signage or otherwise called electronic signage refers to the display technology such as LED walls, LCD monitors, and projection to be able to display the message in a more vivid manner. These include directions, digital images, marketing messages, restaurant menus, webpages, and videos.

 

Moreover, digital signage can function in a variety of settings, including academic buildings, corporate spaces, churches, museums, public spaces, retail stores, restaurants, and sporting arenas primarily to provide marketing, messaging outdoor advertising, and wayfinding.

 

Basically, digital signage can be useful for carrying internal communication, offering public information, or sharing product information to enhance brand recognition, customer service, and promotions. Moreover, it can greatly influence customer behavior and decision-making, while enhancing consumer experiences via interactive screens.

 

Several Uses of Digital Signage involving system-on-a-chip(SOC):

 

Promotions

  1. Digital signage can help promote events, products, sales, and services.

Service offerings

  1. Businesses can list their service offerings on digital displays in an artistic manner. Such would include auto repair shops, fitness studios, restaurants, salons, signage, and spas.

Inspirational quotes

  1. Since digital signage is not always about advertising, you can still entertain and inspire your potential customers with content with famous quotes.

Interactive forms and games

  1. Users can take advantage of interactive digital signage by being able to play games and subscribe to email newsletters.

 

There are also other forms of digital signage that can influence people or the target audience to pay attention and respond accordingly. Such would include the following:

 

    • Social media streams and news
    • Company memos for recognition
    • Calendars and event schedules
    • Maps
    • Directories
    • Emergency messages

 

How is System-On-A-Chip(SOC) Involved?

The role of system-on-a-chip(SOC) in digital signage technology has become popular in recent years. With this technology, businesses will have the power to reach the target audience in a captivating, entertaining, and vivid manner.

 

The significance of interactive and large-scale digital signage has been embraced by the business world. Thanks to system-on-a-chip(SOC) digital signage technology, it is possible to have an all-in-one solution instead of having any other external devices or cables to the display.

 

In recent years, SoC displays have been gaining market share in the digital signage space. In fact, SoC displays are currently being used worldwide in 41% of new digital signage deployments.

 

The use of system-on-a-chip(SOC) displays has rapidly gained market share in the digital signage space in recent years. In fact, all top display manufacturers provide SOC displays for sale. That said, they are often less expensive than the same professional display without the built-in SOC.

 

Need a fabless manufacturer for your next system-on-a-chip(SOC) project? Contact us at Linear MicroSystems today!

Linear MicroSystems, Inc. is proud to offer its services worldwide as well as the surrounding areas and cities around our Headquarters in Irvine, CA: Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Anaheim, Orange County, Fullerton, and Los Angeles.

Mixed Signal ASIC Design

How the ASIC Card Is Made: The Ins And Outs of Fabless Manufacturing

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An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is a microchip made for a particular application. In contrast to general integrated circuits, ASIC cards allow specific actions to take place inside a specific device.

 

ASIC is a preferred choice because it’s smaller in comparison to multiple interconnected standard products on a PC board. This variability in size allows the chip to be as large or as small as possible. This has become the trend for the shrinking of electronic equipment sizes in recent years.

 

What is an ASIC Card?

While the original cost of design can be high, ASICs provide a cost-effective solution. ASIC cards are in products like mobile phones and other popular consumer devices that require large production runs.

 

Designers can benefit from ASICs for a variety of reasons, which include the following.

 

  • Decrease the size of the device
  • Perform specialized functions
  • Avoid issues with supply chains
  • Make it hard for the competition to emulate products using custom chips

 

The use of an ASIC card enables the consolidation of multiple functions on a single chip. Thus, ASIC products need fewer electronic components and are also cheaper and easier to assemble.

 

What is Fabless Manufacturing?

Semiconductor companies require significant contributions in terms of capital, staff, and resources, aside from equipment, infrastructure, and storage facilities to supplement the process of manufacturing.

 

Thus, they have gone for a fabless model. This is a cost-effective alternative to allow them to share existing facilities of third parties that will perfectly fit their requirements. Fabless companies can focus their time, effort, and resources on developing new ideas. Because of this, they can maintain the variability in production volume, efficiency, and velocity without the pressure on resources and their staff.

 

Fabless manufacturing of semiconductors benefits a variety of electronics, particularly digital cameras, smartphones, and smart cars. Such companies will design and sell hardware and semiconductor chips but don’t manufacture the chips or silicon wafers they use in their products.

 

That is because they outsource the fabrication to manufacturing plants or foundries. Such foundries are in countries where skilled labor is abundant and cheap. This is where they keep the production costs low and return on investment high.

 

Products made by these fabless companies are used in many market-leading corporations today, including top companies like Apple, Dell, and Samsung, just to name a few.

 

Where to Learn More

Linear MicroSystems is a fabless semiconductor company that offers high-performance RF, analog, and mixed-signal ASICs.  In fact, the company has become a supplier of high-quality and high-volume ASIC solutions, developing the most advanced system-on-a-chip ASIC solutions on the planet.

 

You can learn more about Linear MicroSystems and ask for a proposal on how the company can help provide the solution for your semiconductor needs. Visit the website talk to experts about analog, digital, and RF analog circuit design solutions.

 

Linear MicroSystems, Inc. is proud to offer its services worldwide as well as the surrounding areas and cities around our Headquarters in Irvine, CA: Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Anaheim, Orange County, Fullerton, and Los Angeles.