Anasim

June 2010: Power Integrity (PI) analysis has traditionally been conducted using lumped, discrete elements and circuits, which lead to exponential simulation complexity, approximate models, and often, inaccurate results. In continuum-models based analysis, a chip power grid and distribution network is modeled as a continuous surface, employing distributed models for circuits and capacitance. This not only eliminates the exploding computational complexity for PI analysis in nanoscale chips, it facilitates physical, true-electromagnetic simulations for chips, packages, and 3D assemblies. Continuum-models based analysis is “analog” in the sense that a layer to be analyzed is treated as a spatial potential or voltage continuum, similar to analog signals being time-continuous in nature, as opposed to analyzing discrete elements and their interactions.

Read more on this in a SOCcentral featured article. A comprehensive treatment of Continuum Modeling is accessible in Anasim’s PI book for IC’s.

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RLCSim is a Windows(tm) executable that performs noise analysis on a power grid over a circuit block. This tool, a pre-cursor of pi-fp, considers grid resistance (IR drop), inductance (L*di/dt) or voltage droop, and distributed capacitance that absorbs transients, and displays noise propagation and summing within the block.

Inputs include grid parameters, block power consumption profiles and capacitance.

FREE RLCSim Windows(tm) ZIP Download

Shown below is a noise simulation result using RLCSIM demonstrating detrimental effects of lens-shaped on-chip decoupling capacitance structure. Power grid noise from an on-chip source is focused behind the capacitance structure, illustrating distributed true-electromagnetic simulation capability absent in other power integrity analysis tools.

Download a full-size version of the animation here

Download/View (PDF): Effective Current Density.pdf