An End-to-End Design and Simulation Methodology for Evaluating Package-Induced Signal Integrity Degradation in PCIe...

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• High-speed digital systems rely on robust signal integrity (SI).
• Package design introduces critical discontinuities affecting channel performance.
• Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) 5.0 demands advanced SI analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an end-to-end simulation methodology for evaluating package-induced SI degradation in PCIe 5.0 channels.
• To assess the impact of various package-level factors on system-level SI.
• To provide a framework for package and channel co-design.

Main Methods:

• Integrated simulation of package, printed circuit board (PCB), and add-in card (AIC) structures.
• Analysis of individual and combined effects of impedance mismatch, meander routing, and via stubs.
• Evaluation of insertion loss, intra-pair skew, and eye diagrams.

Main Results:

• Localized package discontinuities propagate and compound through the end-to-end channel.
• Significant reduction in system-level eye diagrams due to package impairments.
• Package-induced SI degradation requires end-to-end channel analysis, not just package-level assessment.

Conclusions:

• Package design choices critically influence system-level SI in PCIe 5.0.
• An integrated, end-to-end simulation approach is essential for accurate SI prediction.
• The proposed methodology aids in next-generation high-speed package and channel co-design.