Progress in Decompositional Electromagnetic Analysis of Digital Interconnects

TL;DR

This paper reviews the progress of decompositional electromagnetic analysis (DEA) for PCB and packaging interconnects, emphasizing its importance in ensuring reliable high-speed data transmission at rates exceeding 6 Gbps.

Contribution

It provides an overview of DEA's basic principles, discusses conditions for its accuracy, and highlights its growing significance in high-speed interconnect design.

Findings

DEA enables faster pass-fail analysis of interconnects.

It helps identify failure points in high-speed PCB and packaging interconnects.

DEA's accuracy depends on specific conditions outlined in the paper.

Abstract

In the realm of PCB and packaging interconnect design, electromagnetic analysis tools have transitioned from optional to essential over the last two decades, as data rates soared beyond 6 Gbps. Today, with standard data rates eclipsing 6 Gbps and reaching thresholds of 224 Gbps, these tools are indispensable for designing reliable interconnects. The goals of the interconnect analysis are simple: identify interconnects that may fail at the target data rate and allow troubleshooting and fixing the problem. The most efficient approach to such pass-fail analysis is the Decompositional Electromagnetic Analysis (DEA). It allows separation of the signal degradation factors for faster analysis and troubleshooting. This paper outlines the basic elements of DEA, discusses conditions for its accuracy and underscores its significance in the future of interconnect design.