WILSONVILLE, OR – Mentor Graphics has released a power integrity analysis tool, HyperLynx PI, which according to the company provides easy-to-learn-and-use setup and accurate analysis of power plane structures.

Targeting the design of high-performance electronic products, HyperLynx can assist design teams in the optimization of the working power delivery system. To address high density/pin-count ICs, the power delivery system analysis tool analyzes the design, ensuring that clean, sufficient power is delivered to the ICs through multiple PCB power and ground structures.

According to David Wiens, Mentor director of business development, without the use of analysis tools that easily identify the problem areas, designers often add more layers and capacitors, over designing the product and increasing the cost.

“We have advanced users today that are required to design over 30 power delivery structures in a single PCB, driven by the multiple voltage levels and power requirements of the high-performance ICs,” said Henry Potts, vice president and general manager of Mentor Graphics Systems Design Division. “The design of these structures requires quick and accurate analysis of both DC power drop and power noise. With accurate analysis, the power and ground plane structures and de-coupling capacitor number, as well as placement, can be determined, thus avoiding over-conservative design and high product cost.”

Cost control is certainly one of the critical aspects in new product design. According to Dr. Eric Bogatin, president of Bogatin Enterprises,”… power integrity design issues…either push the envelope in performance or can’t afford the added cost of over-design margin. HyperLynx PI can help an engineer create cost-effective design rules for the power delivery network and answer the important ‘what if?’ design questions early in the design cycle, bypassing the expensive build-it and test-it route.”

Another challenge of today’s high-performance designs is the drive toward lower power. ICs today use multiple voltage levels, some very low. The multiple power delivery structures on the PCB need to deliver clean power, so the power and ground split-planes need to be defined in a way that avoids excessive high current densities and DC voltage drop. The HyperLynx product provides analysis that is both visual and textual, allowing the designer to identify and resolve issues.

The analysis tool can provide accurate analysis of the power integrity enabling designers to determine the best number, placement and values of the de-coupling capacitors. PI analysis helps designers experiment with PCB fabrication materials and stack-up when determining the best electrical and cost solutions, allowing designers to optimize the performance of advanced designs while avoiding the need of costly prototypes and re-spins. According to Wiens, the tools ease of use and accuracy helps engineers and designers innovate while managing costs.