Ethan Koether

In recent years, the IEEE Electrical Packaging Society technical committee for electrical design, modeling, and simulation recognized the need for open-source benchmarks for the simulation tool, verification, and test and measurement solution vendors. The intention is to overcome the obstacles that developers and users of such tools and instruments often encounter and create a growing library of benchmark cases for signal and power integrity challenges. As of October 2023, there are four published benchmark cases in the repository. This article describes a proposal for a fifth benchmark.

This paper investigates via and trace coupling effects using measurements, hybrid, and full-wave solvers by de-embedding/calibration utilizing multiple test-boards.

Power distribution networks (PDNs) delivering power to ICs in a system need to be thoroughly designed and analyzed in order to make sure any voltage fluctuation on the rail is within the tolerance of every IC connected to that rail.  As ICs on the rail draw power, they generate a voltage fluctuation on the rail.  The PDN must have the capacity to supply enough charge such that the resulting voltage drop is less than the maximum voltage drop each IC on the rail can tolerate.  If voltage fluctuations appear outside IC tolerance limits, a slew of problems can surface such as IC damage, failure, or reduced lifespan.