[SI-LIST] Re: Best PDS impedance for package damping

  • From: "Ken Cantrell" <Ken.Cantrell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <weirsp@xxxxxxxxxx>, <Larry.Smith@xxxxxxx>,<ctwardy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 08:34:21 -0700

Steve,
So which is it?
Clip from previous post -
"Istvan,  I have been able to show that when properly designed, the big "V"
actuallly optimizes the total number of decoupling capacitors."
or
"It is certainly verifiiable that using closely spaced resonances the phase
is bound closer to 0, and it is equally verifiable that this can yield
fewer components to cross a target Z than would be necessary by the
inductance alone." - full text below.

Ken

-----Original Message-----
From: si-list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:si-list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of steve weir
Sent: Friday, February 13, 2004 11:59 AM
To: Larry.Smith@xxxxxxx; ctwardy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: istvan.novak@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [SI-LIST] Re: Best PDS impedance for package damping


Larry agreed, the problem is that the IC mfgs don't tell us what their
networks look like and the resonant frequency shifts with the external L,
which in this case is the mounted capacitor array.  So, we are stuck
shooting in the dark.  So, do we throw a bunch of cost at a problem that
may or may not be there, and where the cost may or may not yield a
satisfactory solution?

As to the significant work that you have done on closely spaced resonances
I have followed this with great interest, but have some exceptions to it,
most notably the difficulty auditing the manufactured assembly.

It is certainly verifiiable that using closely spaced resonances the phase
is bound closer to 0, and it is equally verifiable that this can yield
fewer components to cross a target Z than would be necessary by the
inductance alone.  When you are SUN and buy some 100's millions of
capacitors per year, there is probably little penalty to the multitude of
values, and I suppose you have worked out the manufacturing procedures so
that they are either auditable or accidents don't happen or both.  But, I
do not see that as a general case applicable to small and medium size
companies.

Regards,


Steve.

At 10:30 AM 2/13/2004 -0800, Larry Smith wrote:
>(I changed the subject to better reflect the content..)
>
>Craig, Istvan, Steve - "the big V" associated with discrete capacitor
>impedance does not cause ASICs to resonate at the die but it can
>certainly make it a lot worse.  There will always be some level of
>inductance in the mounted package that will resonate with the
>capacitance in the die (and/or capacitance on the package).  Depending
>on how the PCB capacitors are chosen, their inductance  may (and
>usually does) add to that of the package and mount .  This will
>increase the Q of the resonant circuit and lower the resonant
>frequency (bad things).
>
>If PCB capacitors are chosen such that they present a resistive
>impedance rather than inductive impedance at the chip/package resonant
>frequency, they provide damping and reduce the Q of the resonant
>circuit rather than increase it.  This is the best you can hope for.
>The optimum situation is to have the PCB present the target impedance
>at zero phase (resistance) to the resonant circuit.  This presents the
>maximum damping resistance with acceptable voltage regulation (IR drop
>in the PDS resistance).
>
>Sure, it would be nice to have specified ESR capacitors to help us
>create the optimum impedance.  But I work in a components group.
>There is no way we will pay for the added costs, the testing, the
>inventory control or deal with the number of unique P/N capacitors
>that this would required if there were specified ESR options for each
>capacitor value.
>
>On the other hand, the ESR of ceramic capacitors available today is
>very predictable.  For a particular value of capacitor, we find about
>20% ESR variation over the several major capacitor suppliers.  We can
>live with that!  By choosing from a menu of 2 dozen or so capacitors
>(three per decade over 5 decades of values) it is easy to present any
>impedance you want to the mounted ASIC including a nice flat profile
>with frequency.  In every case that we have evaluated, this has
>resulted in the lowest component cost but does create added
>manufacturing complexity with more reels of components around the
>"pick and place" equipment.  Optimize it any way you want!  I know
>what I am going to do.
>
>regards,
>Larry Smith
>Sun Microsystems
>
>Craig Twardy wrote:
> > Steve, Istvan;
> > "the big V" can also cause ASICs to resonate at the die.
> > Usually the significant lossy component (dampening) is the ESR of "the
big
> > V".
> > When this gets small, the ASIC package can become underdamped.
> > "the big V" does not have to coincident exactly with the natural
resonant
> > frequency of the ASIC Package.
> > It just needs to be somewhere close (within an octave or two can be
> > sufficient).
> >
> > When this happens the noise seen at the PCB is usually low.
> >
> > I guess this goes back to a previous thread; without knowing the ASIC
> > package
> > And die components, power supply decoupling is a crap shoot.
> >
> >
> >
> > Craig
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Istvan NOVAK [mailto:istvan.novak@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> > Sent: February 13, 2004 8:27 AM
> > To: weirsp@xxxxxxxxxx
> > Cc: si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: [SI-LIST] Re: Stack up for EMI reduction,plane resonance and
u-str
> > ip radiation etc etc
> >
> >
> > Steve,
> >
> > Well said.  Given the fact that there is still hardly any bypass
capacitor
> > on the market where the designer would have a known range for its ESR,
> > selecting the largest value cap in a ceramic case style, and creating a
> > single deep V seems to be a good working compromise.
> >
> > There are two penalties associated with this solution.  At low
frequencies,
> > where the V shape interfaces with the impedance of bigger capacitors, we
> > will have to pay a factor of two either in the inductance of the bigger
> caps
> > (need twice as many) or in the capacitance of the ceramic caps creating
the
> > deep V (if we selected the biggest capacitance in the case style, this
also
> > means we need twice as many).  There is a similar but more severe
> penalty at
> > high frequencies, where these ceramic capacitors interface with the
planes,
> > let it be thin dielectric -:) or thick dielectric.  To sufficiently
> suppress
> > the capacitor-plane resonance and the first few plane modal resonances,
the
> > cumulative inductance of the parts has to be several times less, which
> means
> > correspondingly more parts.  But I agree that given the circumstances
this
> > is a safe working solution.
> >
> > I hope sooner than later the industry will demand bypass capacitors with
> > specified ESR values (with +- tolerance) where the nominal ESR value can
be
> > selected from a list, similar to nominal voltage, material, etc.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Istvan
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "steve weir" <weirsp@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > To: "Bart Bouma" <bart.bouma@xxxxxxxxx>
> > Cc: <si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <si-list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>;
> > <zhang_kun@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Friday, February 13, 2004 4:47 AM
> > Subject: [SI-LIST] Re: Stack up for EMI reduction,plane resonance and
u-str
> > ip radiation etc etc
> >
> >
> >
> >>Bart, I don't know why people fear that big "V".  Capacitors by the
> >>decade are something that I oppose.  I have seen people, including
> >>respected consultants mess up capacitors by the decade and blow
> >>impedance targets by a factor of 3:1 or more.  In the meantime, no
> >>parts were saved. There is nothing wrong with an impedance lower than
> >>target, and the capacitor count is driven by the requisite inductance
> >>to meet the HF intercept.  Take the same qty of capacitors using
> >>decade spacing, and just substitute the larger value for all of them
> >>and the impedance plot is
> >
> > still
> >
> >>very well behaved, and the phase doesn't go all over creation.
> >>
> >>The only argument that anyone could ever try and make for smaller
> >>value capacitors that makes any sense to me is the higher ESR of the
> >>small values, provided it is high enough to get close to Ztarget that
> >>will help damp anti resonance with the planes.  In that case, I can
> >>see clear to two values of ceramic caps properly chosen, but not by
> >>the decade.  But, I
> >
> > have
> >
> >>yet to see any author who advocates multiple values of MLCCs advocate
> >>on the basis of bringing up the ESR.  It has always been based on this
> >>folklore surrounding some perceived need for a flat impedance curve,
> >>that many then blow due to antiresonance.
> >>
> >>Regards,
> >>
> >>
> >>Steve.
>
>
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