XipChip - A Multiprocessor CPU for Multifunction Peripherals

摘要

This paper describes the architecture and development of the XipChip microcontroller, a system on chip design for multifunction peripherals. The XipChip architecture makes it easy to develop all kind of printing and scanning equipment for use in home and office environment. However, XipChip provides a bridge between discrete solutions and approaches which are using dedicated microprocessors, as a result there are aspects of the XipChip architecture which are unique to this approach. The chip integrates a PowerPC processor core and dedicated hardware blocks for real-time critical applications. XipChip was produced in a 0.36 μm, four metal layer technology with a die size of 9 x 9 mm~2 and is used in commercially available multifunction peripherals.