Cross-domain Design: The Key to Managing Complex Methodologies

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

For years, Cadence Design Systems has been developing EDA tools that enable the design of ICs and PCBs. Now, as systems continually become more complex, the lines are blurring between these disciplines, and EDA companies are providing designers of PCBs and ICs the ability to understand what’s happening upstream and downstream.

We asked John Park, product management group director for advanced IC packaging at Cadence, to discuss this ongoing convergence of domains, as well as what it all means to designers and design engineers.

Andy Shaughnessy: We’re seeing more technologists pointing out the need for PCB designers to focus on silicon-to-systems. What does that term mean to an EDA company like Cadence?

John Park: We would call this cross-domain co-design. Dealing with the complexity and costs of electronic systems, the over-the-wall approach to design leads to project delays and higher costs. It’s critical that IC designers collaborate with the packaging team and the PCB layout teams to create a fully optimized system at a lower cost. PCB layout designers are now influencing the package pinouts of large BGA/LGA packages. This can lead to better system-level signal quality, better power delivery, and fewer layers required to achieve these performance objectives. This can be especially true for very complex PCB form factors. This means two things: 1) Providing our customers with a common system collaboration and optimization tool across the IC design, package design, and PCB layout; 2) Seamless data exchange between the design tools, including seamless integration from layout to analysis and signoff.

Shaughnessy: What are the most important things that PCB designers need to understand about silicon and packages?

Park: The current trend, driven by size limitations and cost, is to disaggregate huge monolithic ICs into smaller building blocks called chiplets. This shifts much of the complexity from IC design to package design. At the same time, the IC foundries have entered the advanced packaging space with technologies that facilitate higher interconnect density and smaller pin pitches. The industry calls this “multi-chiplet heterogeneous integration” because the individual chiplets can be built from multiple nodes and technologies. As a result, more emphasis is put on multi-chiplet packaging as the platform to create product differentiation.

To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the September 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.