Design optimization of flip-chip packages integrating USB 3.0

Rod Duzinski, Mentor Graphics Corp.; Manoj F. Nachnani, Enabling Solutions, Inc.
EETimes (5/11/2011 9:45 AM EDT)

As the speeds of various SerDes interfaces move into the multi-gigabits/sec range, more ASIC chips are being designed to have multiple high speed interfaces such as USB 3.0, PCIE Gen3, DDR3, and others. No longer is package design just a layout exercise or lumped model extraction.

Package design flow

It’s now more important to understand the interaction between the bumps, traces, vias, and solder balls in a flip chip package — or wirebonds, traces, vias, and solderballs in a wirebond package — to optimize the package layout and design before committing to high volume production. Today’s requirement is full 3D electromagnetic simulation (EM) and modeling to optimize the package design for crosstalk, reflection, and insertion loss. The package can no longer be designed “by itself” but has to be designed in conjunction with both the silicon chip and the system board, an approach commonly known as chip-package-board co-design. Let’s look at some important design considerations and an effective high-speed methodology successfully employed for the design of a package with a USB 3.0 interface using 3D EM modeling and simulation.

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