Crosstalk analysis of interconnection lines and packages in high-speed integrated circuits

A novel approach for the analysis of crosstalk, propagation delay, and pulse distortion of interconnects in high-speed integrated circuits, packages, and circuit boards is presented. Based on frequency-domain modal analysis, a set of formulas is derived to describe the voltage and current transfer functions of coupled interconnects with arbitrary linear termination impedances and used to obtain analytical expressions for the time-domain waveforms for lossless multiconductors interconnection lines. The weak-coupling assumption is found to be only marginally valid. In a typical interconnection configuration, the secondary coupling of the disturbed line on the original signal line substantial and must be taken into account for accurate prediction of the waveforms. Simulation results are given to illustrate the influence of the layout parameters of the interconnects and the rise or fall times of the source signal. It is shown that ground conductors need to be placed on both sides of each of the signal lines to reduce crosstalk effectively. However, the presence of the ground conductors increases the layout complexity and results in more severe waveform distortion for the signal on the active line