Model Building with Icepak

in AEDT - ECAD

Introduction to Icepak in AEDT

Release 2019 R1

19.3 Release
Objectives
• Build an electronics system-level model
– Detailed Icepak objects: PCB, 3D Fans
– Assign boundary conditions

• Become familiar with the ECAD import process

– IDF file import options
– Trace import options
– View trace in PCB
– View metal fractions

• Generate a mesh
– Use manual settings to generate a mesh

• Run the simulation

• Use post-processing tools to analyze the solution
Model Overview
• The model has the following generic components:
– 3D intake fans
– Outlet grille
– PCB with imported ECAD traces
– Detailed extruded heat sink
– Simple packages
– DDR memory
– Flash memory

• Using the model from Workshop 1, we will replace

– 2D fans → Detailed 3D fans
– Lumped PCB → Detailed PCB component with traces
– Simple package → Component in IDF file
Model Overview
Detailed heat sink
DDR Memory
Flash Memory

Grille

Packages

3D Intake fans Board with traces

AEDT Icepak: Getting Started
• Launch ANSYS Electronics Desktop (AEDT) from the start menu or the desktop shortcut
− Start → All Programs → ANSYS EM Suite 2019 R1 → ANSYS Electronics Desktop 2019 R1
• Go to File > Restore Archive and select “D1_WS1.aedtz”
• Save the project as “D2_WS1”
AEDT Icepak: Getting Started
• A project called D2_WS1 will be created in the Project Manager
• Expand the D2_WS1 project. An Icepak design called Electronics Chassis is available in this project
• Right-click Electronics Chassis and rename the design as Detailed Components

• AEDT automatically creates a new project when launched. In this example, a project called Project1 was
created when AEDT was first launched and this project is not needed for this workshop.
• Right-click Project1 and select Delete Project Permanently from Disk
Model from Workshop 1
• This is the model from Workshop 1
• It consists of 2D fans, and the PCB is represented as a lumped block with orthotropic thermal conductivity
• Press F6/F7 to switch the rendering between wireframe and solid shading modes
Changing Object Color
• To change the color of an object, double-click the object in the History Tree, or right-click the object and go
to Edit > Properties, to open the Properties panel
• Click on the “Color” graphic next to Color and a panel pops-up to choose the color
• After choosing the color, click Apply and OK to close the Color and Properties panels respectively

Note: Make sure the ‘Material Appearance’ option is disabled, to

change the color. (uncheck ‘Material Appearance’ option and click
apply and OK, then click Properties again to change color)
Create 3D Fan
• 2D fans from Day 1 workshop will be replaced with 3D fans
• In the History Tree, right-click on Fans and select Edit Definition
− All the fans listed under Fans (Fan1 and Fan2 in this model) will be updated through this approach
• Click Next in the Fan Component panel to get to the Geometry section
• Update the geometry as shown in the image below and click Next. (Proceed to the next slide)

3D Fan Inputs
Variable Value
Cross-section Y-Z
Radius 9.293mm
Hub Radius 3.293mm
Case Height 6mm
Case Size 26mm
Specify Fan Curve
• Change the Flow Type to Curve and click on Edit Curve to specify a fan curve
• In the Edit Dataset panel, specify the Volume Flow and Pressure data as shown in the table below
• Alternatively, click Import Dataset and select Fan_curve.tab file to import the fan curve data
• Click OK and Finish to close the Edit Dataset and Fan Component panels respectively

Fan Curve Data

Volume Flow Pressure
(m3/s) (N/m2)
0 74.725
0.000141 64.761
0.000376 44.835
0.0005875 24.908
Note: 0.0006815 12.454
1. Both fans will be changed
2. Ambient temperature has been set 0.0008225 0
under Icepak Design Settings
Import IDF File
• To import the IDF file, go to Icepak > Import IDF…
• In the IDF Import panel, click … button and select A1.bdf file
• The library file is automatically populated (Proceed to the next slide)
Import IDF File
• Go to the Filters tab, then check By Power and Create filtered devices as non-model objects
• Go to the Board Conductivity tab, we will not specify any value in this workshop
• Go to the Modeling tab, check Simply board as rectangular object and Simplify all devices as
rectangular object
• Click OK to create the board and devices in IDF file
View Imported IDF file in the GUI
• The imported IDF file can be viewed in the 3D Modeler Window
• Since we applied the filter when importing the IDF file, all components in IDF file have been set to Non-
Model objects
• Right-click anywhere in the GUI and select View > Show Only Model Objects to view only active objects
Active Package from IDF Imported Components
• In the History Tree, expand the A1 > Misc1 > BGA701_P10_NV31_34_18B1
• Double-click on U17 to open the Properties panel
• Enable the Model option and rename U17 to AGP_IDF
• Click Apply and OK to close this panel
Material Properties for AGP_IDF
• Double-click on AGP_IDF to open the Properties panel again
• Expand the value of Material and select Edit
• In the Select Definition panel, selected HighConductivityMaterial
• Click OK to close this panel
• Click Apply and OK to close this panel
Deactivate AGP from Workshop 1
• Drag and drop the AGP_IDF out of A1, and put it under Model
• AGP_IDF can be found under HighConductivityMaterial in Solids
• In the History Tree, double-click on AGP to open the Properties panel
• Disable the Model option. Making an object Non-Model is equivalent to deactivating the object
• Click Apply and OK to close this panel
Assign Thermal Boundary Condition to AGP_IDF
• In the History Tree, right-click the AGP_IDF
• Select Assign thermal and Block
• Name it as AGP_IDF
• Set 2.5 W to Total Power
• Click OK to close this panel
 Assign Power to Heat Sources
• Double-click on Bridge under Thermal in the Project Manager and update the Total Power as shown below
• Similarly, update the Total Power for other components (DDR*, Large Flash and Small Flash) with values as
shown in the table below

Note: The same thermal boundary condition (BC) can be applied to multiple objects. In this example, the thermal BC (DDR)
is applied to all DDR objects (DDR1-DDR4). Any changes made to this BC will be applied to all the DDR objects.

Object Power (W)

AGP_IDF 2.5
Bridge 2.5
DDR1 1.125
DDR2 1.125
DDR3 1.125
DDR4 1.125
Large Flash 0.5
Small Flash 0.25
Import ECAD File
• To import the ECAD file, go to File > Import > EDB and select edb.def file
• AEDT creates a new project with the same name as the EDB folder (A1_uprev_edb), and inserts a HFSS 3D
Layout design called A1_uprev

Note: AEDT imports all ECAD files into a HFSS 3D Layout Design
 View Traces in the GUI
• The imported ECAD file can be viewed in the 3D Modeler Window

• To view the ECAD file

in the GUI, make sure
that the HFSS 3D
Layout design is
selected in the
Project Manager
• Active design is
highlighted in bold in
the Project Manager
Copy the HFSS 3D Layout Design
• For the ECAD file to be used by Icepak, the HFSS 3D Layout Design and the Icepak Design MUST be located
under the same Project
• Right-click the A1_uprev Design under A1_uprev_edb Project and select Copy
• Right-click D2_WS1 Project (Destination project) and select Paste. This will copy the HFSS 3D Layout Design
to the same project as Icepak Design. This might take time depending on the size of the ECAD file (the
warning messages can be ignored in this step)
• After the design is copied, delete the A1_uprev_edb Project by right-clicking it and selecting “Delete
Project Permanently from Disk”
 Shortcut

ECAD – Layers Stack-up

• To view the layer stack-up, go to Layout > Layers
• The Edit Layers panel provides information on the layers, materials and thickness
ECAD – Material Properties for Layers
• The material names and properties are imported from the ECAD file. It is important to verify that correct
material properties have been defined for the simulations
• In the Edit Layers panel, click on any material and select Edit in the drop-down menu
• In the Select Definition panel, click on View/Edit Materials to view the material properties of the selected
material

Note: By default, AEDT shows the

electromagnetic properties at the top
ECAD – Update Materials
• The System Library has a database of materials with properties defined. We will use materials from the
System Library for the stack-up layers.
• In the Edit Layers panel, click on EDB_AIR and select Edit from the drop-down menu
• In the Select Definition panel, search for ‘air’ under Search by Name. Select the material ‘air’ with location
‘SysLibrary’.
• Click OK to update the material
ECAD – Update Materials for Signal Layers
• The materials for all signal and dielectric layers can be updated at once.
• In the Edit Layers panel, choose ‘Select signal’ under Layer to select all signal layers. This highlights all the
signal layers in the panel.
• Click ‘Edit’ from the drop-down menu for Material and search for copper.
• Click OK in the Select Definition panel to update the material selection.
• Similarly, update the Dielectric fill material for all signal layers to FR4_epoxy.
ECAD – Update Materials for Dielectric Layers
• Similarly, update the materials for all dielectric layers
• The final layer stack-up should be as below:
 ECAD – Check Layer Thickness
• Check the thickness of all the layers as shown in the table below
• The total thickness should be 1.56464mm, and this can be checked at the bottom of the Edit Layers panel
• Go to File > Save to save the project
• Click Apply and Close for the Layers panel Thickness (mm)

0
0.01778
0.05588
0.11938
0.03048
1.1176
0.03048
0.11938
Note: Make sure the thickness keep 0.05588
consistence with design 0.01778
0
Create PCB Component
• Select the Icepak Design in the Project Manager to make this the active design
• Right-click on 3D Components and select Create > PCB, to create a PCB component
• In the PCB Component: General panel, enter PCB1 as the name for the PCB and click Next
• In the Geometry panel, click Setup Link. Proceed to the next slide
Create PCB Component
• In the Setup Link panel, the source of the ECAD data is automatically populated under Source Design and
Source Solution after clicking Use This Project
• If there are multiple ECAD files, users can select the correct ECAD file from the Source Design menu
• Go the Settings tab, and change the Extents Type to Bounding Box, to create a rectangular PCB based on the
trace extents
• Click OK to close this panel. Click Next in the PCB Component panel
Create PCB Component
• Click Next in the Property panel. We will not specify any heat dissipation for the PCB
• In the Metal Fraction panel, change the gridcut resolution to 800
• Click on Display to view the metal fractions. You can view the metal fractions for different layers from the
drop-down menu for ‘Show Metal Fraction for Layer’. Click Finish to create the PCB component
Deactivate Lumped PCB and IDF_Board
• Since we created a PCB component, we will deactivate the lumped PCB and IDF_Board
• In the History Tree, double-click on Board to open the Properties panel
• Disable the Model option. Making an object Non-Model is equivalent to deactivating the object
• Click Apply to close this panel
• Repeat the same procedure for IDF_Board
• Right-click anywhere in the GUI and select View > Show Only Model Objects to view only active objects
View Trace in PCB
Note: The
• Right click the PCB1_1 and select Properties trace can be
seen layer by
• Click Visualization tab layer in 3D
• Check all layers in the trace Modeler
• Click Apply and OK to close this panel Window
 Shortcut

Resize Cabinet
• Orient the model in the Top view by right-clicking in the GUI and selecting View > Apply Orientation > Top
• It can be observed that the PCB lies beyond the cabinet on the Min and Max Y sides
• You can use the Modeler > Measure > Position tool to measure the offsets
Resize Cabinet
• In the History Tree, double-click Create Region to open the properties panel of the Cabinet
• Enter the following values for the Y padding data: +Y = 5.0038mm and –Y = -106.146mm, and click Apply
• The PCB should lie within the Cabinet now
Assign Mesh Priority
• Right-click Model under Project Manager and select Object Priority to review the mesh priority for objects
• Select AGP_IDF and Bridge in History tree, and click Add Priority List at the bottom
• PCB component (PCB1_1) has a high meshing priority than the Flash objects (Large_Flash, Small_Flash)
• To assign a high priority to the Flash objects, select the row containing Flash objects, right-click and choose
Select Assignment.
• Click Add Priority List at the bottom, and this will assign high priority to the Flash objects.
• Click OK to close the panel
 Shortcut

Generate Mesh
• In the Project Manager, right-click Mesh and select Edit Global Region
• Click the Advanced tab and update the mesh parameters to match the image below. Note that the units for
minimum gap are µm
• Right-click Mesh in the Project Manager and select Generate mesh to mesh the model
 Shortcut

View the Mesh

• To view the mesh, right-click on Mesh in the Project Manager and select Mesh Viewer
• Use the Cut plane and Geometry/Boundary selection options to review the mesh
• For Geometry/Boundary selection option, the objects have to be selected in the History Tree
 Shortcut

Mesh Quality
• In the Mesh Viewer panel, go to the Quality tab to review the mesh statistics
• Click on Face Alignment and Skewness to review the minimum values. It will take some time to calculate
the quality
• It is recommended to have face alignment > 0.05 and skewness > 0.02 for all models
• Mesh that does not follow the above guidelines may lead to divergence!
 Shortcut

Solution Setup
• Right-click on Analysis and select Add Solution Setup
• Specify the solution name as ECAD_Model and the number of iterations to 500
• Set the Flow regime to Turbulent and choose Zero Equation turbulence model
• Select Off for Radiation Model
• Enable Solve Flow and Energy Equations
Sequentially. Proceed to the next slide

Note:
The solution setup can
be “Disable” and
“Enable” in case of
multiple solutions setup
Solver Settings
• In the Solver Settings tab, click on Advanced Options
• Specify the following Under-Relaxation Factors (URF) for Pressure and Momentum. Click OK to close the panel
of Advanced Solver Settings
Note:
The settings for under
relaxation factors are for
natural convection
problem
Solver Settings
• In the Convergence tab, specify the following convergence criteria for Flow and Energy equations
− Since we are solving Flow and Energy equations sequentially, we are specifying a tight convergence criteria for the
Energy equation
• In the main menu, go to Icepak > Design Settings and specify the following values for ambient conditions
 Shortcut

Validation Check
• Before running any simulation, it is important to perform a validation check on the model
• The solver runs a check on all the setup details of the project, and verifies that all the necessary steps have
been completed
• To perform a validation check, go to Icepak > Validation Check
• If there are no issues, a green tick mark is shown next to each step of the project
 Shortcut

Run the Simulation

• Right-click on ECAD_Model in the Project Manager and select Analyze to run the simulation
• The simulation progress can be viewed anytime in the Progress window
• Right-click on ECAD_Model and click Monitor to display the plots of solution residuals and monitor points
during the simulation
Post-processing: Temperature Contours
• Select the following objects from the History Tree
• Right-click and select Plot Fields > Temperature > Temperature
Post-processing: Temperature Contour
• The temperature contours for the selected objects will be displayed in the GUI
Post-processing: Thermal Conductivity Contours
• Select any metal or dielectric layer of the PCB in the History Tree
• Right-click and select View > Show Only Selection in Active View to hide all other objects in the GUI
• Use the Zoom tool and zoom-in to this layer to show the thickness
Post-processing: Thermal Conductivity Contours
• In the Draw tab, click on the Plane tool and create an X-Y plane at the center of the selected layer
• The new plane (Plane1) is available under Planes in the History Tree
Post-processing: Thermal Conductivity Contours
• Select Plane1 in the History Tree
• Right-click Field Overlays and select Plot Fields > Thermal Conductivity > Kx
• Use the default selections, and Click Done in the Create Field Plot panel to create contour plot of Kx
Post-processing: Thermal Conductivity Contours
• Orient the model in the Top view and view the contour plot of Kx Note: The contours displayed
based on the cut-plane are for the
• Similarly, create contour plot of Kz entire region/cabinet
Post-processing: Velocity Vectors
• Select the Fan_Coord:XY plane located under Planes from the History Tree
• Right-click Field Overlays in the Project Manager and select Plot Fields > Velocity > Velocity to plot velocity
vectors on this plane
Post-processing: Fields Summary
• Click on Fields Summary in the Results tab. Change the Entity Type to Object and Geometry Type to Volume
• Select all the components on the PCB for Entity and Temperature for Quantity
• Click Add as Multiple Calculations to create summary report for each object separately
Post-processing: Fields Summary
• The Summary Report provides details of the Min, Max and Mean temperatures of the selected objects
Ideal Workshop Outcome
• You should now be able to
− Create 3D Fans
− Import IDF file
− Import ECAD and update materials for the stack-up
− Create a PCB component
− Review trace in a PCB component
− Generate a mesh using manual settings
− Setup the solver and solution settings
− Run the simulation and post-process the results
Appendix: Meshing for Inclined PCB
Model Description

• Import the ECAD file, go to File > Import > EDB and select edb.def file
• Add PCB object
• Set Air region
1

2
 Create Relative Coordinates Systems
• Select Global coordinate system in History tree
• Click Draw > Relative CS
• Select the Origin of Global coordinate system
• A relative coordinate system can be found under global coordinate system

2 3
Update Relative Coordinates Systems
• Select RelativeCS1 in History tree, the properties window can be found at the left bottom corner
• Change Mode to Euler Angle ZYZ
• Set Theta to 10 degree

1 2 3
Set Mesh Region 1
• Click Global
• Right-click Region of air, then select Assign Mesh Region
• Check User specified, then set as following
2 3

1
Set Mesh Region 2
• Click Global
• Right-click Region of air, then select Assign Mesh Region
• Check User specified, then set as following
• Select CreateBox under Box2 in Non Model, change the size of box at the left bottom corner

1 2 3
Change Coordinate System for Mesh Regions and PCB
• Select PCB1_1, then change the coordinate system to RelativeCS1
• Hold CTRL, then select CreateBox under Box1 and Box2, change coordinate system to RelativeCS1

1 2
View of Model in New Relative Coordinates Systems

Mesh Region 2
• Select Simulation
• Click Generate Mesh

Mesh Region 1

PCB
Meshing for Inclined PCB with Defining Mesh Regions
Meshing for Inclined PCB without Defining Mesh Regions