Creating a component pcad 2006
Other useful capabilities to look for in a solution include: Afterwards, the designer could hand the design over to the PI engineer, who would use the same models and report files, reducing the number of iterations. With this approach, the designer could run and rerun the analysis to gather data while resolving first-order problems. An ideal solution would first enable the PI engineer to manage the complex setup of the analysis technology and allow the designer to reuse the setup parameters. Technology that makes the best use of the unique skill sets of PCB designers and PI engineers and that drives faster access to power delivery insights is essential. over 8 amps in Figure 2 because many more vias were added to the design (Figure 4).įigure 4 Another view of the PDN design, where the maximum via current is 1.59 ampsīridging the gap between IR-drop analysis and PCB design Looking at the via current in this design, the maximum is now 1.59 amps, vs. Checking a design with thousands of vias could be a staggering task. Therefore, designers need to be able to apply PI constraints that define the acceptable level for voltage and current, and report specific design instances that violate the constraints.įigure 3 shows an example of a better PDN design. The scale on the right shows voltage from 1.49V down to 1.43V. In this case, the large ICs on the left of the design are getting 1.43V, which is much better than what was happening in Figure 1.įigure 3 A PDN design showing good levels of current flow Similarly, look at the plot in Figure 2 showing via current. The color scale on the right shows vias in the design with over 8 amps of current flowing through them-far above tolerance. The large ICs on the left side of the design are only getting 1.25V, which is far below an acceptable tolerance level.įigure 1 A PDN design with circuitry that isn’t getting enough power That’s why timely analysis and guidance on the adjustments that need to be made are necessary.įigure 1 shows an example of a bad PDN design. The scale on the right shows voltage from 1.46V down to 1.25V. Nor has there been a way to indicate whether enough metal has been added for every power rail in the PCB design. In addition, there hasn’t been a formal process to tell the designer exactly how much metal to add to their board in response to the IR-drop analysis results. So, the PCB designer ends up having to wait for initial analysis results and then waiting some more while going back and forth with the PI engineer for additional analysis after every adjustment to the design. Given this queue of work, PCB designers aren’t able to get instant IR-drop analysis results. With multiple ongoing projects, the PI engineer must juggle simultaneous demands for time-consuming IR-drop analysis work. If yours is like a typical organization, there are several PCB designers for every PI engineer. Indeed, the communication flow between PCB designers and PI engineers creates some of these challenges. The designer must also balance various other system requirements in a tight timeframe. Often, the PCB designer must interpret multiple instructions-by email or verbally-from the PI engineer, applying these directions to multiple power rails and ICs. There needs to be a faster, more reliable way for IR-drop analysis results to get into the hands of PCB designers, so they can properly manage the power flow through the PDN in their designs and meet aggressive time-to-market goals.īecause IR-drop analysis is a specialized skill, PCB designers typically face some frustrating PDN challenges. At the same time, miniaturization of electronics means fewer layers and higher densities-so, less available area for power nets. As voltage is reduced, current requirements typically increase. With low-power design, core voltage levels have continued to drop-1.5V or less is now common. IR-drop analysis has, however, become quite challenging. How can PCB designers gain useful IR-drop insights quickly from overloaded power integrity (PI) engineers so they can meet stringent time-to-market targets? In this article, we’ll discuss technology that empowers PCB designers with fast access to the same trusted, comprehensive, and accurate IR-drop analysis functions used by the analysis experts.Įnsuring sufficient power delivery in a PCB design, without requiring excess layers or larger board size, is essential. Is your PCB design team spending too much time waiting for IR-drop analysis results on the power delivery network (PDN), or trying to optimize the decoupling capacitor network without under- or over-designing it? Given the miniscule voltages of today’s designs, there’s really no margin for error in the PDN.