Most of the current electronic PCB board designs are integrated system-level designs, encompassing both hardware design and software development, posing new challenges for electronic engineers.
First, it is essential to divide system software and hardware functions effectively in the early design stage to establish a functional structure framework and avoid redundant processes. Second, the timely design of high-performance and high-reliability PCB boards is crucial.
Software development relies heavily on hardware realization, so a more efficient design cycle can be achieved through comprehensive machine design. This paper explores the new features and strategies of system board-level design in light of evolving technology.
The rapid pace of electronic technology development, driven primarily by advances in chip technology, has led to challenges in board-level design. Semiconductor processes have reached deep sub-micron levels, with ultra-large-scale circuits dominating chip development.
This shift has introduced new design constraints within the electronics industry. Chip packages are now diverse, with high-density and miniaturized packaging popular for product miniaturization. Additionally, increased chip operating frequencies have pushed system limits, posing challenges for board-level design.
Issues such as low routing rates due to dense pin configurations, and timing and signal integrity problems resulting from higher system clock frequencies, require complex, high-performance designs with advanced tools.
The design of high-speed digital circuits, characterized by high clock frequencies and fast edges, has become mainstream. Product miniaturization and high performance must navigate distribution effects caused by mixed-signal design techniques (digital, analog, and RF mixed design) on the same board. The increasing design complexity poses challenges for traditional design processes, methods, and CAD tools on PC platforms. The industry has recognized a trend towards transferring EDA software tools from UNIX to the NT platform.
When the interconnect delay of a signal exceeds 20% of the edge signal flipping threshold time, the signal wire on the board exhibits transmission line effects, transitioning from pure wire performance with lumped parameters to distributed parameter effects, indicating a high-speed design. In high-speed digital system design, false inversions and signal distortion caused by parasitics present timing and signal integrity issues, constituting a bottleneck for high-speed circuit designers.
Traditionally, electrical and physical rule settings in high-speed circuit design were separate, requiring significant effort in the early stages to analyze and plan a physical routing strategy that meets electrical requirements. The complexity of achieving high-speed effects extends beyond controlling wiring length and parallel lines, presenting challenges for designers in implementing practical rules consistently.
To address these challenges, a real-time electrical rule-driven physical layout concept was proposed, integrating electrical requirements and physical implementations during physical layout and routing. Interconnection synthesis, a real-time electrical rule-driven method, analyzes constraints and timing rules, pre-optimizes signal integrity, and synthesizes critical nets to meet electrical requirements. By integrating electrical requirements and physical implementations, this approach offers a more efficient design process and improved quality control.
As miniaturization and high-performance demands increase, mixed-signal design solutions combining digital-analog hybrid and radio frequency technologies on a single substrate have become essential to meet market competition. Collaboration among design teams, concurrent design, derivation, and design reuse strategies help address new design challenges and accelerate time-to-market for high-performance, low-cost products.
Traditional serial design methods have given way to innovative design approaches, leveraging powerful EDA tools to facilitate collaborative product development within design teams. Design reuse strategies divide designs into functional blocks for parallel development, streamlining the design cycle and enhancing productivity and efficiency.
Derivative technology enables manufacturers to develop products with varying functions and grades efficiently, reducing costs and improving PCB board quality by deriving products from a single design process data. By utilizing derivation technology, manufacturers can enhance product flexibility and reliability while optimizing design processes for diverse product offerings.
First, it is essential to divide system software and hardware functions effectively in the early design stage to establish a functional structure framework and avoid redundant processes. Second, the timely design of high-performance and high-reliability PCB boards is crucial.
Software development relies heavily on hardware realization, so a more efficient design cycle can be achieved through comprehensive machine design. This paper explores the new features and strategies of system board-level design in light of evolving technology.
The rapid pace of electronic technology development, driven primarily by advances in chip technology, has led to challenges in board-level design. Semiconductor processes have reached deep sub-micron levels, with ultra-large-scale circuits dominating chip development.
This shift has introduced new design constraints within the electronics industry. Chip packages are now diverse, with high-density and miniaturized packaging popular for product miniaturization. Additionally, increased chip operating frequencies have pushed system limits, posing challenges for board-level design.
Issues such as low routing rates due to dense pin configurations, and timing and signal integrity problems resulting from higher system clock frequencies, require complex, high-performance designs with advanced tools.
The design of high-speed digital circuits, characterized by high clock frequencies and fast edges, has become mainstream. Product miniaturization and high performance must navigate distribution effects caused by mixed-signal design techniques (digital, analog, and RF mixed design) on the same board. The increasing design complexity poses challenges for traditional design processes, methods, and CAD tools on PC platforms. The industry has recognized a trend towards transferring EDA software tools from UNIX to the NT platform.
When the interconnect delay of a signal exceeds 20% of the edge signal flipping threshold time, the signal wire on the board exhibits transmission line effects, transitioning from pure wire performance with lumped parameters to distributed parameter effects, indicating a high-speed design. In high-speed digital system design, false inversions and signal distortion caused by parasitics present timing and signal integrity issues, constituting a bottleneck for high-speed circuit designers.
Traditionally, electrical and physical rule settings in high-speed circuit design were separate, requiring significant effort in the early stages to analyze and plan a physical routing strategy that meets electrical requirements. The complexity of achieving high-speed effects extends beyond controlling wiring length and parallel lines, presenting challenges for designers in implementing practical rules consistently.
To address these challenges, a real-time electrical rule-driven physical layout concept was proposed, integrating electrical requirements and physical implementations during physical layout and routing. Interconnection synthesis, a real-time electrical rule-driven method, analyzes constraints and timing rules, pre-optimizes signal integrity, and synthesizes critical nets to meet electrical requirements. By integrating electrical requirements and physical implementations, this approach offers a more efficient design process and improved quality control.
As miniaturization and high-performance demands increase, mixed-signal design solutions combining digital-analog hybrid and radio frequency technologies on a single substrate have become essential to meet market competition. Collaboration among design teams, concurrent design, derivation, and design reuse strategies help address new design challenges and accelerate time-to-market for high-performance, low-cost products.
Traditional serial design methods have given way to innovative design approaches, leveraging powerful EDA tools to facilitate collaborative product development within design teams. Design reuse strategies divide designs into functional blocks for parallel development, streamlining the design cycle and enhancing productivity and efficiency.
Derivative technology enables manufacturers to develop products with varying functions and grades efficiently, reducing costs and improving PCB board quality by deriving products from a single design process data. By utilizing derivation technology, manufacturers can enhance product flexibility and reliability while optimizing design processes for diverse product offerings.
