Semiconductor device and method for initializing interface card using serial eeprom

Abstract

A semiconductor device for initializing an interface card using a serial EEPROM and an initializing method allow for more effective use of a serial EEPROM used to store the initialization information, while not consuming additional circuit surface area. The method comprises initializing a semiconductor device, wherein the semiconductor device stores initialization information in a serial electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM) and includes a direct memory access (DMA), a serial EEPROM interface, and a register interface that are connected to a common system bus according to the initialization information, the method comprising (a) setting an operational channel to allow the DMA automatically initialize the semiconductor device in a state where the semiconductor device is reset; (b) reading the initialization information from the serial EEPROM in response to the operational channel set in the DMA after the reset state of the semiconductor device is cancelled; (c) initializing the semiconductor device by writing the initialization information read out from the serial EEPROM to the register interface; (d) generating an initialization completion signal for indicating that the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed, and (e) automatically setting the register interface and the DMA to be prepared for normal operations after the initialization of the semiconductor device is completed.