Using a hybrid, finite-element technique, SIwave allows design engineers to characterize simultaneous switching noise, power and ground bounce, resonances, reflections and coupling between traces, and power/ground planes. Engineers can also use the software to simulate high-speed devices with their own driver/receiver models using SIwave's SPICE output to obtain accurate system-level simulations.

SIwave analyzes complex PCBs and IC packages consisting of multiple, arbitrarily shaped power and ground layers, and any number of vias, signal traces, and lumped components. SIwave enables designers to model the following types of effects:

• Voltage potential variation across complete power and ground structures with or without decoupling capacitors.
• Power and ground bounce.
• Simultaneous switching noise.
• Impedance discontinuities, such as those due to changes in signal layers or split supply planes.
• Noise coupling between signal lines and supply planes.
• Propagation delay, rise and fall times, reflections and ringing.
• Frequency-domain phenomena, such as resonant modes and S parameters.

Circuit models providing all of these effects can be output for use in HSPICE from Synopsys, PSPICE from Cadence, or Ansoft's Maxwell SPICE.

For more information, visit www.ansoft.com/products/si/siwave.

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2007 Penton Media, Inc.