Variable frequency crosstalk noise analysis: a methodology to guarantee functionality from dc to fmax

One means of reducing pessimism in crosstalk analysis is to consider timing orthogonality. While earlier works have addressed the temporal alignment of timing windows, these treatments have overlooked one key point. Crosstalk noise failures are frequency dependent. A chip that functions at one frequency can fail due to crosstalk noise at faster and slower frequencies. Moreover, because system developers and manufacturers need chips that operate over a wide range of frequencies, noise analysis tools should guarantee a wide range of operation. In this paper, we explain this phenomenon and propose a simple procedure to include timing information and guarantee functionality from dc to f_max.