Power Integrity

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I often get questions from my fellow design engineers from around the world asking why we should or should not use S parameters or Z parameters for power distribution network (PDN) designs or validation.  The truth is, we should be familiar with both, because depending on our design and validation tools, one or the other may be better suited for the task. Read on to find out why.

While many already had home lab setups for projects and exploring curiosities, the challenges of the global pandemic have driven many to ramp up their set ups and spend more time at their in-house benches. Over the years, Signal Integrity Journal has worked with many leading industry experts and stars in our field. Some have gamely agreed to play along with me and share images of their home labs. Enjoy the tour!

Sometimes, when SI and PI worlds collide, we get the best of both worlds. By borrowing a simple impedance measuring technique from the PI world, we have another tool at our disposal to measure true characteristic impedance from a uniformly designed transmission line in the SI world, read on to learn more.

Keysight Technologies, Inc., and Transphorm, Inc., have announced the availability of a power supply reference design that enables engineers to identify and correct design errors before building hardware, thereby lowering product costs and speeding time to market.

One of the main challenges of performing analysis upstream is incomplete models used in analysis. Normally the full physical layouts from which extractions are performed on interconnect do not yet exist. So how does one fill in the blanks to perform early analysis?

This article explains the steps to use a TDR to measure very small values of inductance and capacitance, including tips for better measurements.

Probing signals with a bandwidth below 100 MHz and voltage sensitivity above 100 mV is a no-brainer. Regardless of the type of signal or the source impedance, the venerable 10x passive probe is the answer. However, at bandwidths >100 MHz and with voltage sensitivity <100 mV, the 10x passive probe may not be the best option. In this article, SIJ technical editor Eric Bogatin introduces an easy-to-implement, low-cost alternative to the 10x passive probe specifically for power-rail measurements.

It pains me to say this, but there is such a thing as turning the TDR up too high and it is also easy not to have enough. If there is a “too high,” and a “not high enough,” there must also be a “just‐right,” or Goldilocks, setting. Using measurements, and a smattering of math, the Goldilocks setting answers
will be clear. Read on to find out how.

Dialog Semiconductor plc, announced that Dialog will become Telechips’ preferred power management partner for their Dolphin+QD (TCC8059), Dolphin 3E (TCC8053) / Dolphin 3M (TCC8050) and Dolphin 3H (TCC8060) platforms.

Engineers who design and model power distribution networks require accurate component level models from high frequency down to DC.  Accurate modelling of power connectors can guarantee best power transfer and minimize power-induced noise.  In this paper, which won a DesignCon 2020 Best Paper Award, the authors analyze the frequency-dependent resistance and inductance of various power connectors as well as pin patterns.