"After the Webinar" Podcast: Signal Integrity FAQs

By Shivani Joshi

Thanks for joining us during the PADS Professional HyperLynx Signal Integrity webinar on July 17^th! If you weren’t able to attend, you’re in luck! You can watch it On-Demand here.

In the webinar, I covered some key functions of HyperLynx in PADS Professional to help optimize your designs and avoid costly re-spins. In the process, I’ve also collected some FAQs we encountered during the webinar and from general customer feedback on the topic of signal integrity:

How much is too much crosstalk?

Typically, crosstalk is dealt with on a case by case basis. To truly define “too much”, you’d need to look into the constraints of your application. Industry specialists generally suggest that the maximum crosstalk should be no more than about 5% over or under the signal. For high speed signals, they suggest that percentage be closer to 0.3%.

Where do I get models?

IBIS models hold IC modeling information and are used to perform various signal integrity simulations. IBIS models can usually be found on component supplier websites. Many suppliers provide IBIS files for download for easy import into HyperLynx. HyperLynx in PADS Professional also has an Easy IBIS Wizard that allows users to edit and create models.

Download a free trial of PADS Professional today!

When do I perform SI analysis?

Signal Integrity analysis lends itself perfectly to the modern left-shift design methodology. That is to analyze the design and resolve issues throughout the design flow vs. a linear design flow. So SI analysis should be done pre-layout to make sure things like trace lengths, widths, and topologies are set to ensure design success and then again as a post-layout validation.

Tune in to our PCB TechTalk “After the Webinar” Podcast series to hear us answer other questions that were asked during the webinar!

Thanks again for attending the webinar and don’t forget to register for our next live webinar event: RF Design Challenges for PCB: Are you ready for 5G for IoT?