Ebook: PDN Simulation and Analysis Guide

| Created: February 14, 2022 | Updated: July 1, 2024

Most designers don’t realize they need to worry about power integrity until they have a power integrity problem. Other designers might build boards that can’t handle the demands of modern digital and high frequency components, and they may not realize the problems that lurk in their power delivery network (PDN). Although the basic concepts involved in designing for power integrity are well-known, myths about power integrity abound, and designers need tools to help them evaluate and qualify power integrity in a PDN.

The challenges involved in designing for power integrity center around noise reduction and ensuring low PDN impedance. Basic simulation tools like SPICE are excellent for identifying problems during front-end engineering if they are used properly. Some tasks include direct simulation of noise, the PDN’s transient response, and the PDN impedance spectrum. Once the PCB layout is complete, the radiated emissions should also be simulated as they can cause interference in sensitive circuits, or possibly cause a device to fail EMC qualification.

In this e-book, readers will gain deeper insight into the components and layout choices that affect power integrity. Specifically, design choices that affect PDN impedance will be examined, as well as how to implement and analyze PDN impedance simulations. Covered topics include:

What are the various components that contribute to PDN impedance and transient noise
How to set up a SPICE simulation to examine PDN impedance
How plane resonances affect PDN impedance and radiated emissions
How to capture and analyze full-wave field solver results for PDN impedance and radiated emissions

Click the PDF above to read more about PDN simulations for modern PCBs and how to analyze power integrity problems in high speed PCBs. You can also read the original, full-length content here:

PDN Impedance Analysis and Modeling: From Schematic to Layout
What Target Impedance Should You Use in Your PDN?
What is Spreading Inductance?
PDN Impedance Simulation and Analysis in SPICE
When Do PCB Power Plane Resonances Occur?
Identifying Near-field EMI in a PCB's Power Distribution Network

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The Complete Guide to PCB Power Integrity Power Analyzer by Keysight PDN Analyzer PDN Analyzer for DC Power Integrity PDN Design for the PCB Designer

About Author

Zachariah Peterson has an extensive technical background in academia and industry. He currently provides research, design, and marketing services to companies in the electronics industry. Prior to working in the PCB industry, he taught at Portland State University and conducted research on random laser theory, materials, and stability. His background in scientific research spans topics in nanoparticle lasers, electronic and optoelectronic semiconductor devices, environmental sensors, and stochastics. His work has been published in over a dozen peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, and he has written 2500+ technical articles on PCB design for a number of companies. He is a member of IEEE Photonics Society, IEEE Electronics Packaging Society, American Physical Society, and the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA). He previously served as a voting member on the INCITS Quantum Computing Technical Advisory Committee working on technical standards for quantum electronics, and he currently serves on the IEEE P3186 Working Group focused on Port Interface Representing Photonic Signals Using SPICE-class Circuit Simulators.