Fast parametric pre-layout analysis of signal integrity for backplane interconnects

The effective design of passive interconnect links in a pre-layout phase may be a challenging task that involve multidimensional trade-off analyses to find an optimum between system performance and cost. Highly efficient interconnect models can be used to assist this process by allowing a detailed exploration of the design space and the impact of different alternatives in an early stage. This paper addresses this issue by proposing a parametric and automated framework for analysis of single-ended links across multiple substrates with semi-analytical via and trace models. It is shown that this method can provide rapid estimations (second to minute range) and it is suitable for the analysis of configurations with realistic complexity.