"Ten-hut!" Attending the Signal Integrity Bootcamp

"Ten-hut!" Attending the Signal Integrity Bootcamp
by Tom Dillinger on 02-21-2017 at 12:00 pm

The engineering team for the design and analysis of a complex system consists of a diverse set of skills — with the increasing emphasis on both high-speed interface design and multi-domain power management, a critical constituent of the team is the group of signal integrity (SI) and power integrity (PI) engineers.

The training… Read More


IP development strategy and hockey

IP development strategy and hockey
by Tom Dillinger on 01-19-2017 at 7:00 am

eye diagrams min

One of the greatest hockey players of all time, Wayne Gretzky, provided a quote that has also been applied to the business world — “I skate to where the puck will be, not to where it has been.” It strikes me that this philosophy directly applies to IP development, as well. Engineering firms providing IP must anticipate… Read More


You’re Going to Want to Attend the Cadence Photonics Summit Workshop, October 19-20

You’re Going to Want to Attend the Cadence Photonics Summit Workshop, October 19-20
by Tom Dillinger on 10-05-2016 at 12:00 pm

Photonics IC’s (PIC’s) are used to transmit and receive data through a (single-mode or multi-mode) optical fiber carrier, and provide the requisite electro-optical conversion for system integration. The architecture of the PIC spans the full characteristics of data transmission and reception:

  • light generation

Typically,… Read More


"Rigid-Flex Design is Coming"

"Rigid-Flex Design is Coming"
by Tom Dillinger on 10-04-2016 at 12:00 pm

Printed circuit boards that incorporate a combination of traditional PCB technology with flexible substrates, aka rigid-flex designs, have enabled an increasing variety of product designs, that leverage the unique physical form factor and lightweight options that rigid-flex technology offers. Yet, this technology requires… Read More


Top 5 Highlights from the 2016 TSMC Open Innovation Platform Forum

Top 5 Highlights from the 2016 TSMC Open Innovation Platform Forum
by Tom Dillinger on 09-26-2016 at 7:00 am

Recently, TSMC conducted their annual Open Innovation Platform forum meeting in San Jose. Although TSMC typically eschews a theme for the forum, David Keller, EVT TSMC North America, used a phrase in his opening remarks that served as a foundation for the rest of the meeting – “celebrate the way we collaborate”.

The forum begins… Read More


ESL Architectural Power Estimation Support from TSMC — yes, TSMC

ESL Architectural Power Estimation Support from TSMC — yes, TSMC
by Tom Dillinger on 09-22-2016 at 11:00 am

Electronic system level (ESL) modeling for system architecture exploration is rapidly gaining momentum. The simulation performance requirements for hardware/software co-design are demanding — an abstract model for SoC IP cores is required. Typically, soft IP will include a number of model configuration parameters.… Read More


The Package Assembly Design Kit (PADK)… the start of something big

The Package Assembly Design Kit (PADK)… the start of something big
by Tom Dillinger on 08-19-2016 at 12:00 pm

Integrated wafer-level fanout (WLFO) packaging technology is emerging as a foundation for multi-die solutions. Mobile product applications require focus on both aggressive chip-to-chip interface performance, as well as the final package volume. Traditional multi-chip packages using PCB laminate substrates do not readily… Read More


Rigid-Flex Cabling is Cool! (and requires unique EDA support)

Rigid-Flex Cabling is Cool! (and requires unique EDA support)
by Tom Dillinger on 08-15-2016 at 10:00 am

The three F’s of electronic product development are: form, fit, and function. Although the F/F/F assessment typically refers to the selection of the right component, it most definitely also refers to the selection of the proper cabling between assemblies. The requirements for cables are varied, and demanding: ability… Read More