Overview
Heracles was the first SI signoff tool for high speed designs, and integrated a novel hybrid full-wave EM solver with the same accuracy order as the conventional 3D solver but an order of magnitude faster speed is developed. The hybrid solver takes advantage of the layered nature of the PCB layout and adopts the idea of layer-by-layer decomposition to reduce the complexity of the problem and achieve the computation speed optimized for full board crosstalk scan. With automated SI signoff flow, we are able to achieve the complete full board crosstalk scan in a few hours as intended with using the tool, which significantly reduces the post-layout check time, allows layout optimization, and ensures the full board coverage.
Highlights
Signal integrity sign-off becomes critical for high speed PCB designs. Traditionally 3D EM solver is expensive to run such a simulation, especially scan the board to identify any violation for the sign-off purpose.
Heracles enables SI engineers to scan the via pin field and breakout region under connectors or BGA packages for impedance and crosstalk violation with its novel full-wave solver technology which has the same accuracy as the traditional 3D solver but an order of magnitude faster.
Crosstalk metrics such as frequency domain integrated crosstalk noise (ICN) or time domain waveform TDT are derived from the S-parameter to quantify crosstalk.
Heracles's Impedance Scan flow can quickly check geometry and electrical design rules, which can improve working efficiency.
Main Features
Crosstalk Scan
The Crosstalk scan can automatically extract selected nets in the via pin field and breakout region under connector or BGA package, based on user configuration of the high speed interface definition.
Quick Issue Identification
The crosstalk metrics such as ICN/TDT allow quick assessment of the crosstalk by simply comparing. It also maps to the Layout and ViaExpert with different colors to allow quick location identification.
EM solvers and Crosstalk Metrics
Three solvers are available in Crosstalk Scan flow: FEM3D, Hybird Solver and Pure Via Solver .To get controllable accuracy and speed, Pure Via Solver is recommended in Crosstalk Scan flow and Hybird solver is applied in Impedance Scan flow.
Frequency domain integrated crosstalk noise (ICN) or time domain waveform TDT can be used to quantify crosstalk, NEXT and FEXT.
Crosstalk Scan Flow
The crosstalk scan first starts with the signal net scanning based on the user configuration of the high speed interface definition.
The selected nets in the via pin filed and breakout region under connector or BGA package are automatically extracted without user intervention.
The resultant crosstalk level for the selected nets is shown in either table or plot format.
Impedance Scan Flow
Heracles's Impedance Scan flow can quickly check geometry and electrical design rules, which can quickly find any outlier(s) if there is any.
Support map to Cadence layout and Xpeedic 3D model (ViaExpert) to allow quick location identification.
DRC+
Geometry Check (DRC+) can perform additional checks on top of Cadence Allegro.
Standard pad-stack, back drill, ground coverage, trace necking, nearest ground via, power plane, specified net(s) can be checked in a blink.
Support to identify the violation in Cadence Allegro and generate report.
Related Downloads
