Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition User Guide: PCB Design Tools

ID 683768
Date 11/04/2020
Public

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1.3. FPGA to Board Signal Integrity Analysis Flow

Board signal integrity analysis can take place at any point in the FPGA design process and is often performed before and after board layout. If it is performed early in the process as part of a pre-PCB layout analysis, the models used for simulations can be more generic.

These models can be changed as much as required to see how adjustments improve timing or signal integrity and help with the design and routing of the PCB. Simulations and the resulting changes made at this stage allow you to analyze “what if” scenarios to plan and implement your design better. To assist with early board signal integrity analysis, you can download generic IBIS model files for each device family and obtain HSPICE buffer simulation kits from the “Board Level Tools” section of the EDA Tool Support Resource Center.

Typically, if board signal integrity analysis is performed late in the design, it is used for a post-layout verification. The inputs and outputs of the FPGA are defined, and required board routing topologies and constraints are known. Simulations can help you find problems that might still exist in the FPGA or board design before fabrication and assembly. In either case, a simple process flow illustrates how to create accurate IBIS and HSPICE models from a design in the Intel® Quartus® Prime software and transfer them to third-party simulation tools.

Your design depends on the type of model, IBIS or HSPICE, that you use for your simulations. When you understand the steps in the analysis flow, refer to the section of this chapter that corresponds to the model type you are using.

Figure 1. Third-Party Board Signal Integrity Analysis Flow