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Signal integrity (SI) is extremely important in the field of electronic engineering and is one of the core considerations in modern electronic design. It plays a decisive role in ensuring system performance and functional realization, especially in the fields of high-speed PCB design, integrated circuit design, and communication system design .
This article will provide engineers with clear guidance from basic concepts to practical applications, and will delve into the importance of signal integrity, the required expertise, and the related software tools used .
Through this article, we hope that engineers can have a more systematic understanding of signal integrity and apply it to actual product design, thereby improving product performance and stability.
Signal Integrity Overview
Signal integrity, in short, is the ability to ensure that the signal is transmitted accurately from the transmitter to the receiver. Ideally, after the signal passes through the transmission line, the receiver should be able to clearly identify its high and low levels. However, in real electronic products, the signal is often affected by various factors during the transmission process, such as the resistance, capacitance, connectors, transmission line itself, and the characteristics of the chips at the transmitter and receiver. These factors may cause the signal to change or distort, and this distortion is a signal integrity problem. For signal integrity engineers, understanding and dealing with these influencing factors is the key to ensuring the stable performance of electronic products .
Signal integrity plays a core role in hardware design. It is not limited to the design of hardware circuits, but runs through the entire system design. Circuit principle design is a key link to ensure the signal integrity of high-speed circuits, including the design of circuit systems, principle block diagrams, and specific circuits . Signal integrity engineers must be proficient in these basic skills to achieve the goals of system design. In short, circuit principle design ensures that the signal maintains its original characteristics during transmission, thereby ensuring that the system operates stably and reliably.
For signal integrity engineers, bus protocol is an indispensable basic knowledge. It is not only the basis for signal transmission , but also the criterion for evaluating whether the signal meets the design requirements . All the efforts of engineers will be meaningless if they do not meet the requirements of the bus protocol. Therefore, a deep understanding of the bus protocol is a necessary quality for every signal integrity engineer, which guides engineers to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the signal during transmission.
Ensure PCB design quality
高速电路技术的发展简化了原理方案设计。然而，即便在相同的CPU和外围电路下，不同公司或同一公司的不同产品性能仍有显著差异，这源于PCB设计的差异。优秀的PCB设计需确保模块连通、性能优化、兼容性测试通过，并符合生产工艺。其中，信号完整性是PCB布局的关键，影响信号传输质量和稳定性。因此，PCB设计过程中必须充分考虑信号完整性，以确保产品性能与品质。
The importance of production technology
The production process is a key link to ensure that the product goes from design to mass production, and it has an impact on signal integrity that cannot be ignored. Different production processes will cause changes in parameters such as resistance and capacitance on the circuit board, thereby affecting the transmission quality and stability of the signal. Therefore, in the PCB design stage, it is crucial to predict and evaluate the impact of the production process on signal integrity.
PCB is the carrier for interconnecting electronic components. The material selection is crucial to the signal integrity of high-speed circuits. The characteristics of the material directly affect whether the signal meets the design requirements. Faced with a wide variety of PCB materials, selecting materials that meet product design has become an important task for signal integrity engineers. Correct material selection and ensuring stable signal transmission are key to improving product quality and performance.
High-speed interconnect devices
Signal integrity is a broad concept, and its core lies in the overall design of circuits and solutions. High-speed interconnect devices, such as transmitting/receiving chips, connectors and cables , are an indispensable part of ensuring signal quality. It is essential to have a deep understanding and familiarity with high-speed interconnect devices, including comprehensive considerations of their performance, cost, process parameters, packaging and supplier quality . This is the key to ensuring signal integrity and improving product performance.
Mastering test measurement
Testing and measurement are an indispensable part of product development. Signal integrity engineers need to be proficient in basic equipment such as real-time oscilloscopes, sampling oscilloscopes, network analyzers , and advanced tools such as bit error analyzers and protocol analyzers . Proficiency in using these devices is the key to locating product problems and the prerequisite for designing high-quality products. In addition, the use of basic tools such as soldering irons and heat guns is equally important. Mastering comprehensive test and measurement skills is the only way to ensure signal integrity and improve product quality.
For signal integrity engineers, simulation and testing are only means , and the real core is the ability to analyze and solve problems . Modern engineers can easily obtain waveform curves, but understanding the meaning and problems behind them is the key. For example, when faced with a non-monotonic waveform, you must first identify its existence, and then analyze the reasons in depth: is it due to uncalibrated test equipment, human factors, improper test point selection, or chip or transmission line problems, etc. After accurate diagnosis, effective measures can be taken. Therefore, the ability to analyze and solve problems is an indispensable core ability of signal integrity engineers.
Simulation software helps
提高设计效率、缩短研发周期、迅速推向市场是信号完整性工作的关键。在产品设计初期，利用仿真软件如ADS、Ansys designer、HFSS、SIwave、Hspice、Hyperlynx、Sigrity等，对关键信号进行模拟，有助于研发人员全面评估潜在风险并最小化之。熟悉至少一种仿真软件，能显著增强设计信心，提升工程师工作效率。
In the journey of exploring signal integrity, the above systematically sorts out its core position in hardware design. From bus protocol to PCB design, from material selection to the understanding of high-speed interconnect devices, every link highlights the importance of signal integrity. The application of test, measurement and simulation software provides a strong guarantee for signal integrity. Signal integrity will continue to lead the development of hardware design and lay a solid foundation for creating more stable and efficient electronic products.
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提升卡
变色卡
千斤顶
京公网安备 11010802033920号
