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Elementary Mr. Watson: Running the Signal Gauntlet
The Shaughnessy Report: Winning the Signal Integrity Battle
Mentor Graphics Releases Newest HyperLynx
April 4, 2016 | PRNewswireEstimated reading time: 5 minutes
Simulating every detail of a PCB's signal routing and power delivery is overwhelming. Tuning raw simulation capabilities to the specific requirements of standard interfaces and protocols (like DDRx memory and 100-Gb/s Ethernet SERDES) eases the user's burden and provides streamlined, summary pass/fail judgment on entire interfaces. The HyperLynx wizard for DDRx memory interfaces pioneered easy setup, automated whole-bus simulation, and consolidated results reporting – and is now extended to DDR4 and LPDDR4 interfaces. HTML-based reporting allows creation of design documentation and internal Web-based "publication" of results.
In the SERDES arena, protocols that support Channel Operating Margin (COM) allow checking the quality of links based on a specific, complex set of simulation steps for a single pass/fail number per-channel. The new HyperLynx tool offers the industry's first robust commercial implementation of COM for 100GbE signaling, with simulation details fully automated.
Staying true to its heritage of ease-of-use and fast interactive analysis, this more robust HyperLynx version can efficiently handle very large layouts (including extra-deep stack-ups, huge net counts, and entire multi-board systems); multi-processor and other simulation-engine performance enhancements; and caching and re-use of extracted models.
Leveraging Tools, Process and Education
In addition to improving products, Mentor is empowering engineers to tackle emerging challenges through a global educational workshop series partnering with industry expert Eric Bogatin. The series will address new high-speed technologies, as well as best-in-class methodologies, tools and processes to effectively adopt the technologies.
"At 28 Gbps and above, everything matters, and engineers must understand the essential signal integrity principles that connect physical design with electrical performance in the very high speed regime. To meet the demands of next-generation products, the successful engineer must accelerate up the learning curve," stated Dr. Eric Bogatin, adjunct professor at ECEE, University of Colorado, Boulder, and director of the Teledyne LeCroy Front Range Signal Integrity Lab. "One of the most effective ways of learning and understanding the essential design principles is through exploring virtual prototypes using simulation tools like Mentor Graphics HyperLynx with its very low learning curve."
About Mentor Graphics
Mentor Graphics Corporation is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronic, semiconductor and systems companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues in the last fiscal year of approximately $1.18 billion. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777.
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