Behind the Design: Wizlogix Pte Ltd
This is the fifth post in a series showcasing the winners of the 2014 Technology Leadership Awards. View the previous ones here.
Runner up for the Consumer Electronics & Handheld category: Wizlogix, Singapore
Design: Modem and application processor
Design team: Vivian Ong Ai Lian, Tan Shean Huey, Romeo Pineda
Design challenges:
- Traces/spaces at 2.36th with constraint areas under multiple FPGAs
- High via density
- Primary component was a 644-pin ASIC with .4mm pitch. HDI was necessary to maximize routing efficiency
- High-speed constraints with impedance controlled, length matched differential pairs, with perpendicular biasing on adjacent layers
- Common planes for all signals in the same bank are required; creating plane areas that are large enough to provide power to different critical banks under the main chip that is already filled with microvias without breaking into different fragments was a challenge
Design tools and team comments:
- Xpedition® Enterprise
- “We used automation with multi via rules to help us punch multiple vias at regular intervals and spacing.”
- “We used the tuning tool to our advantage as well. It would have taken us a longer time to do the length matching if we had to estimate the lengths of each trace. The tuning tool within Xpedition gives us the actual length that we need and saves us time during checking.”
Judge’s comments
- “The 644 pin BGA at 0.4 mm pitch provides a challenge to route this design in 12 layers.”
About the Technology Leadership Awards
Started in 1988, this program is the longest running competition of its kind in the electronic design automation (EDA) industry. It recognizes engineers and designers who use innovative methods and design tools to address today’s complex PCB systems design challenges and produce industry-leading products. See the full list of 2014 winners here.
