Tegan, Are you sure that the simulation accounted correctly for the effects encountered in a serpentine? Some board level signal integrity tools do not simulate same net coupling across a serpentined trace. And, even if they do, no board level tool will account for the corner effects, which cannot be accounted for in quasi-static field solvers. regards, scott -- Scott McMorrow Teraspeed Consulting Group LLC 2926 SE Yamhill St. Portland, OR 97214 (503) 239-5536 http://www.teraspeed.com Tegan Campbell wrote: >Just a thought.....I agree from a technical perspective if you are talking >about 10's of picoseconds matching. But on a board I just finished I >instructed the designer to run three clock lengths on inner layers, and >match them to within 50ps in simulation. He used serpentining with a rule >that the net could not come within 2*dielectric thickness of itself. A >fourth clock net I had him run on the outer layer and have it's flight time >be 500ps less than the others. This did two things: > >1-Satisfied the customer(internal to the company, in this case) that I >thought about proper timing on the board level and conformed to his specs >for his chip >2-Impressed upon people the value of using SI tools along with normal board >flows. Saved ~2.00 per board(precision delay IC). It helped that we had no >EMI problems when we got into the chamber. > >for what it's worth. > >Tegan > >-----Original Message----- >From: Loyer, Jeff [mailto:jeff.loyer@xxxxxxxxx] >Sent: Monday, May 19, 2003 11:23 AM >To: Jon Powell; doug@xxxxxxxxxx; si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >Subject: [SI-LIST] Re: Adding trace length for timing adjustment > > > >I agree. The reference to pS came out wrong - today I would state it = >differently (I wrote the original some time ago). Thanks for pointing = >out the mis-statement. > >When we get up to high enough speeds that pS's count, other techniques = >are called for. PCI-express, for instance, doesn't have the length = >matching constraints of past busses (although the matching between = >halves of differential pairs is specified). > >Jeff Loyer > >-----Original Message----- >From: Jon Powell [mailto:jonpowell@xxxxxxxxxxxx] >Sent: Monday, May 19, 2003 8:59 AM >To: Loyer, Jeff; doug@xxxxxxxxxx; si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >Subject: RE: [SI-LIST] Re: Adding trace length for timing adjustment > > >In my opinion if you are using serpentine nets to provide pico second >matching, you are fooling yourself and just trying to match some spec = >that >is probably suspicious in itself. The coupling of nearby traces and just >plain irregularities on the constructed board are going to wipe out any = >ps >precision matching that you think you are doing. > >regards >jon > > >-----Original Message----- >From: si-list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >[mailto:si-list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Loyer, Jeff >Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 6:54 PM >To: doug@xxxxxxxxxx; si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >Subject: [SI-LIST] Re: Adding trace length for timing adjustment > > > >First, a question of mine (for anybody): is there some theory that =3D >declares that the effect I describe below (coupling across serpentine = >=3D >legs causes part of the wave to bypass the serpentine) is zero in =3D >stripline? > >Now that I've asked that, here's some of what I've found: >________________________________ > >No intense research here, but I did TDR the Front-Side Bus of a product = >=3D >board that had a variety of serpentine types (a few loooong legs, many = >=3D >short legs, some in-between), and here's what I found. > >Conclusions: >1. Serpentining was >80% effective on this Front Side Bus (FSB). I.E., >= >=3D >we achieved at least 80% of the expected delay from serpentines. >2. Vp variation due to serpentining induced about 30pS of skew on this >= >=3D >3", 50ohm bus. >3. A few long legs of serpentining were better than several short ones. >4. There won't be any "Rules of Thumb" which will easily describe the = >=3D >issue (how effective are serpentines?). When we need to worry about pS, = >=3D >simulations have to be performed on expected worst-case nets. > >Other Notes >1. Only layer 1 was represented here. The effects have been less on >=3D >stripline. >2. The dielectric is 4mils thick; serpentine legs are separated by =3D >20mils center to center (same as trace-to-trace separation); trace width = >=3D >=3D3D 7mils.=3D09 > >Some general conclusions of mine: >Increasing trace length with serpentines (AKA "meanders") does not give = >=3D >an increase in flight-time directly proportional to the increase in =3D >trace length. Coupling across the serpentine legs causes part of the =3D >wave to bypass the serpentine (I would refer to it as a "barreling =3D >through the switchbacks" phenomena), reducing the flight-time. The =3D >speed-up effects are reproducible in simulations and seem to be only =3D >weakly tied to rise-time.=3D20 > >The effect can be lessened by separating serpentine legs, or routing in = >=3D >stripline. A "flat spiral" (AKA "bifilar spiral") is an option mentioned = >=3D >in some papers, but my experience with it has shown it to be terrible, = >=3D >S.I.-wise. > >Take pains to avoid serpentines - they're not free.=3D20 > >If serpentining is necessary, keep the adjacent traces far apart - =3D >perhaps an S/H (trace separation to dielectric thickness) ratio of about = >=3D >5 to 1.=3D20 > >Routing in stripline reduces the effect. > >Jeff Loyer > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Doug Brooks [mailto:doug@xxxxxxxxxx] >Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 10:09 AM >To: si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >Subject: [SI-LIST] Adding trace length for timing adjustment > > > > > >I know there are several different views on this subject. > >Suppose I need to add some additional length (time) to a trace and = >am=3D20 >considering three different strategies: > >1. a randomly meandering length >2. a "trombone-like" length down and back >3. more, shorter snake-like loops > >What do people see as the different trade-offs for these three different = >=3D > >strategies under differing conditions? > >Doug Brooks > > >------------------------------------------------------------------ >To unsubscribe from si-list: >si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field > >or to administer your membership from a web page, go to: >//www.freelists.org/webpage/si-list > >For help: >si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'help' in the Subject field > >List archives are viewable at: =3D20 > //www.freelists.org/archives/si-list >or at our remote archives: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/messages=3D20 >Old (prior to June 6, 2001) list archives are viewable at: > http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu > =3D20 > >------------------------------------------------------------------ >To unsubscribe from si-list: >si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field > >or to administer your membership from a web page, go to: >//www.freelists.org/webpage/si-list > >For help: >si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'help' in the Subject field > >List archives are viewable at: > //www.freelists.org/archives/si-list >or at our remote archives: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/messages >Old (prior to June 6, 2001) list archives are viewable at: > http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu > > >------------------------------------------------------------------ >To unsubscribe from si-list: >si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field > >or to administer your membership from a web page, go to: >//www.freelists.org/webpage/si-list > >For help: >si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'help' in the Subject field > >List archives are viewable at: > //www.freelists.org/archives/si-list >or at our remote archives: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/messages >Old (prior to June 6, 2001) list archives are viewable at: > http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu > >------------------------------------------------------------------ >To unsubscribe from si-list: >si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field > >or to administer your membership from a web page, go to: >//www.freelists.org/webpage/si-list > >For help: >si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'help' in the Subject field > >List archives are viewable at: > //www.freelists.org/archives/si-list >or at our remote archives: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/messages >Old (prior to June 6, 2001) list archives are viewable at: > http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu > > > > -- Scott McMorrow Teraspeed Consulting Group LLC 2926 SE Yamhill St. Portland, OR 97214 (503) 239-5536 http://www.teraspeed.com -- Scott McMorrow Teraspeed Consulting Group LLC 2926 SE Yamhill St. Portland, OR 97214 (503) 239-5536 http://www.teraspeed.com ------------------------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from si-list: si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field or to administer your membership from a web page, go to: //www.freelists.org/webpage/si-list For help: si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'help' in the Subject field List archives are viewable at: //www.freelists.org/archives/si-list or at our remote archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/messages Old (prior to June 6, 2001) list archives are viewable at: http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu