SPECCTRA Quest is a high-speed system board-level design tool provided by CADENCE, which can control the corresponding constraints with PCB layout. The following tools are integrated under the SPECCTRAQuest menu
(1) SigXplorer can edit the wiring topology. Delays, characteristic impedances, type and number of drives and loads, topologies, types of termination loads, and more can be defined and controlled in the tool. This tool can be used before PCB detailed design to simulate different conditions of interconnection lines, save the simulation results as topology structure templates, and use these templates to design in later detailed design.
(2) The DF/Signoise tool is a signal simulation analysis tool, which can provide complex signal delay and signal distortion analysis, and the setting and development functions of the IBIS model library. SigNoise is a simulation engine for SPECCTRAQUEST SI Expert and SQ Signal Explorer Expert to analyze and simulate. Using SigNoise, reflection, crosstalk, SSN, EMI, source synchronization and system-level simulation can be performed.
(3) DF/EMC tools – EMC analysis control tools.
(4) DF/Thermax – thermal analysis control tool.
Ideal high-speed PCB design flow in SPECCTRAQuest:
As shown above, the design of the single board is completed through the verification of the model, the space analysis of the pre-placement and routing, the formulation of the topology rules through the floorplan, the layout and routing driven by the rules, and the later verification. Therefore, in the design process, we need to use SPECCTRAQUEST to complete SPACE analysis, topology establishment and floorplan, real-time rule-driven layout and post-verification.
With this new module, users can calculate the target impedance of the power plane according to the system requirements; then consider the decoupling requirements based on the devices on the board, Shah said, and the wizard can help users determine the required decoupling capacitors for their designs. number and type; after selecting a set of decoupling capacitors and placing them on the board, the user can run a simulation program and analyze the results to find the problem.