Electronic system packaging: the search for manufacturing the optimum in a sea of constraints

The author details some of the constraints on electronic system design and manufacturing that affect system performance, reliability, materials selection, and the assembly of the product. The electronic constraints include chip crossing delay, fanout (number of receivers on a driven net), crosstalk (unwanted electromagnetic coupling between independent signal lines and power supplies), DC voltage drop, the number of simultaneously switched line drivers, and reflections of signal waves from discontinuities in transmission line networks. The power dissipation constraints include materials, fabrication, and assembly. Some of the mathematical constraints are defined along with the coupling between them; optimum solutions are shown graphically. It is noted that the ability to resolve the system manufacturing constraints through optimization will determine the final success of a product